Heart attacks are one of the possible pneumonectomy complications that can occur. During stressful events, such as surgery, your heart needs more blood and oxygen than normal to work at its best. After this operation, your heart will probably be under even more stress because one of your lungs has been taken out. You may also have stress from other health problems.

 

When the heart doesn't get enough oxygen, it can be damaged. Sometimes, this lack of oxygen happens for just a short time. This is called ischemia. However, if an area of the heart goes too long without enough oxygen, that section of the heart muscle can die. This is what happens during a heart attack. Depending on how serious the damage is, a heart attack may be fatal.