Pigtail catheter drainage is a common procedure for the treatment of pleural effusion and pneumothorax. The most common complications of pigtail catheter insertion are pneumothorax, hemorrhage and chest pains. Cerebral air embolism is rare, but often fatal. In this paper, we report a case of cerebral air embolism in association with the insertion of a pigtail catheter for the drainage of a pleu...

This study evaluated the value of procalcitonin (PCT) levels in pleural effusion to differentiate the etiology of parapneumonic effusion (PPE). Forty-one consecutive PPE patients were enrolled and were divided into bacterial and non-bacterial PPE. Blood and pleural effusion samples were collected for PCT measurement on admission and analyzed for diagnostic evaluation. PCT of pleural fluid was s...

Pleural effusion is a ubiquitous complication in hemodialysis (HD) patients. Common etiologies of pleural effusion in this patient group are heart failure, volume overload, parapneumonic effusion, tuberculotic pleuritis, and uremic pleuritis. Although thoracentesis is a useful diagnostic method of pleural effusion, empirical reduction of the dry weight is often attempted without thoracentesis b...

Pleural effusions can present in 40% of patients with pneumonia. Presence of an effusion can complicate the diagnosis as well as the management of infection in lungs and pleural space. There has been an increase in the morbidity and mortality associated with parapneumonic effusions and empyema. This calls for employment of advanced treatment modalities and development of a standardized protocol...

: Over 1.5 million patients are admitted to hospital with pneumonia in the United States each year. Up 50% of them can develop a parapneumonic effusion which is associated higher mortality. The incidence pleural infection continues rise, particularly elderly and those comorbidities. Parapneumonic effusions cover spectrum presentations from free-flowing ‘simple effusion’ septated ‘complicated (C...