Factors associated with recurrent bacterial empyema thoracis

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...

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.

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...

Bilateral Suspected Tuberculous Empyema Thoracis

Empyema thoracis is a well known complication following para-pneumonic effusions in paediatric age group. Usually it is unilateral but rarely could be bilateral. Herein we report a case of bilateral tuberculous empyema thoracis in a 12 years old, unvaccinated girl with a positive history of contact with tuberculosis. She was managed conservatively with tube thoracostomies and anti-tuberculous d...