Outcomes of a Clinical Pathway for Pleural Disease Management: “Pleural Pathway”

Management of a malignant pleural effusion: British Thoracic Society Pleural Disease Guideline 2010.

INTRODUCTION The discovery of malignant cells in pleural fluid and/or parietal pleura signifies disseminated or advanced disease and a reduced life expectancy in patients with cancer. Median survival following diagnosis ranges from 3 to 12 months and is dependent on the stage and type of the underlying malignancy. The shortest survival time is observed in malignant effusions secondary to lung c...

Improved Outcomes in Management of Malignant Pleural Effusions

Management of pleural infection in adults: British Thoracic Society Pleural Disease Guideline 2010.

INTRODUCTION Pleural infection is a frequent clinical problem with an approximate annual incidence of up to 80 000 cases in the UK and USA combined. The associated mortality and morbidity is high; in the UK 20% of patients with empyema die and approximately 20% require surgery to recover within 12 months of their infection. 2 Prompt evaluation and therapeutic intervention appears to reduce morb...

Current Management of Pleural Disorders

A wide range of conditions can present with plural involvement. For this reason patients with pleural disorders may be seen by a number of different specialists. The most common pleural disorders include pleural effusion and pneumothorax. Pleural effusion and pneumothorax are defined as accumulation within the pleural space of fluid and air respectively. The most common disorders responsible fo...

Management of malignant pleural effusions

Malignant pleural effusions (MPE) are a common occurrence in many advanced malignancies. They are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality; symptoms can be debilitating to patients and impair quality of life, especially as many of these patients are already functionally impaired by their underlying cancer and medical treatment. MPE generally represent advanced stage malignancy and the pri...