Empyema thoracis: a problem with late referral?

Empyema thoracis: a problem with late referral?

BACKGROUND Patients are often referred to thoracic units for management of empyema after the acute phase has been treated with antibiotics but without adequate drainage. This study evaluates the effects of delay in surgical treatment of empyema thoracis on morbidity and mortality. METHODS Thirty nine consecutive patients were studied from January 1991 to June 1992. Two groups (group 1, 16 pat...

Empyema Thoracis

Epmyema thoracis is associated with high mortality ranging between 6% to 24%. The incidence of empyema is increasing in both children and adults; the cause of this surge is unknown. Most cases of empyema complicate community- or hospital-acquired pneumonia but a proportion results from iatrogenic causes or develops without pneumonia. Parapneumonic effusions (PPE) develop in about one half of th...

Neonatal Empyema Thoracis: a case report

A term newborn was admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit immediately after the birth, with respiratory distress due to congenital pneumonia. With progression of respiratory symptoms, empyema thoracis was diagnosed due to the right massive purulent pleural effusion in chest X ray. Treatment was fulfilled by ventilator support and pus drainage by means of two chest tubes and appropriate an...

Empyema thoracis: management outcome.

BACKGROUND Empyema thoracis results from postpneumonic effusion of bacterial origin or trauma. If untreated it may convert to fibro-purulent or an organising stage. METHODS This study was conducted at cardiothoracic unit of Ayub Teaching Hospital Abbottabad from Jan 2008 to Aug 2009. Patients with diagnosis of empyema thoracic were studied. Their clinical features and investigations were reco...

Treatment of empyema thoracis.