Pleural effusions complicate up to 57% of bacterial pneumonias. They vary in severity, ranging from uncomplicated effusions to empyema. Some require only antibiotics and observation, while others ...

Chest tube drainage is the first step in the management of complicated pleural effusions that have turned into empyema. In cases where adequate drainage cannot be provided or deloculation is required, ...

DURING the past fifteen years there has been a dramatic decline in the incidence of empyema. This decrease is related to the early treatment of pneumonia with antibiotics, frequently outside hospitals ...

A previously healthy 17-year-old boy presented to his family physician with an increasingly productive cough and fever of 5 days’ duration. Based on a clinical diagnosis of atypical pneumonia, he was ...

Tube thoracostomy is a minimally invasive procedure in which a drainage catheter is placed percutaneously into the pleural space. Equipment consists of a sterile set of instruments, local anesthetic, ...