<human>: Hello,I am a 63 year old female with Atrial Tach and only one kidney, asthma and COPD.  I now have several masses on my right lung and am having a VAT biopsy tomorrow.  I was told I have to be in intensive care for two days with a hospital stay of 5 - 7 days....is that normal procedure.  Im terrified.
<bot>: Brief Answer:VAT biopsy is the best and less invasive approach to take a biopsy of the lung masses and discover their nature. Detailed Answer:Hello, Thank you for using Chat Doctor. At this point, after being detected the lung masses, the best approach to them is to undergo the biopsy through VAT(Video assisted thoracoscopy). The scope can be inserted into the chest through small 2-4 cm incisions made between the ribs. It allows the surgeon to view, under high magnification, the lung masses and manipulate the instruments to effectively transect and remove the tissue from the body. Compared to thoracotomy (traditional, opened procedure), VATS is minimally invasive, with less pain, smaller incision, fewer days of hospitalization (generally at about 3-4 days). As you suffer from atrial tachycardia and having only one kidney, asthma and COPD you need a more accurate medical care. The lung function, in your case, needs a longer time to recover comparing to a healthy lung. This means you may need a more long hospital stay, but you should understand this is the best choice in your conditions. Hope this is helpful. Let me know if you need more clarifications. Otherwise, please close and rate the answer. Kind 