The utility of daily therapeutic thoracentesis for the treatment of early empyema.

Abstract

STUDY OBJECTIVES:

To determine if therapeutic thoracentesis is as effective as early chest tube placement or no drainage procedure in the treatment of early empyema in rabbits.

DESIGN AND INTERVENTIONS:

An empyema, as evidenced by gross pleural pus and a decreased pleural fluid pH and glucose level, was induced in 49 rabbits. The rabbits were divided into three groups: 16 underwent daily therapeutic thoracentesis starting at 48 h, 14 underwent chest tube placement at 48 h, and 19 served as controls.

RESULTS:

The mortality rate in the therapeutic thoracentesis group (0/16) did not differ significantly from that in the chest tube group (3/14) or that in the control group (6/19). At autopsy at 10 days, the gross empyema score in the therapeutic thoracentesis group (2.1 +/- 0.3) was significantly lower (p < 0.05) than that in the chest tube group (2. 8 +/- 0.3) or the control group (3.5 +/- 0.2). The mean pleural peel score of 5.8 +/- 1.1 in the therapeutic thoracentesis group was significantly less (p < 0.05) than the score for the nonintervention control group (13.4 +/- 1.6).

CONCLUSIONS:

From this study, we conclude that therapeutic thoracentesis is at least as effective as early chest tube placement for the treatment of early empyema using our rabbit model of empyema.

• Authors: S Sasse, T Nguyen, L R Teixeira, R Light
• Journal: Chest (Chest) Vol. 116 Issue 6 Pg. 1703-8 (Dec 1999) ISSN: 0012-3692 [Print] United States
• PMID: 10593798 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Topics

• Animals
• Drainage
• Empyema, Pleural (therapy)
• Punctures
• Rabbits
• Treatment Outcome