Use of tunnelled catheters for malignant pleural effusions in patients fit for pleurodesis

¹ Divisions of Respiratory Medicine, University of Calgary, Southern Alberta Cancer Research Institute

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: alain.tremblay{at}ucalgary.ca.

	Abstract

To examine the effectiveness of tunnelled pleural catheters (TPC) in patients with malignant pleural effusions (MPE) who would otherwise be candidates for pleurodesis.

Patients were selected from a previously reported database of 250 TPC insertions. The study group was selected based on lung re-expansion and survival as a surrogate maker of eligibility for pleurodesis procedure, as defined by survival of 90 days and lung re-expansion 80% post drainage on a standard chest radiograph 2 weeks post TPC placement.

There were 109 procedures in 97 patients meeting entry criteria. Spontaneous pleurodesis (SP) was achieved following 70% of procedures and correlated with symptom control. The mean time to SP was 90 days. There was no need for a repeat procedure in 87% of cases overall and in 92% of patients experiencing SP. There were few complications and no procedure-related deaths.

TPC are an effective way of controlling MPE when used as first line treatment in patients who appear to be candidates for pleurodesis procedures.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				H. E Davies, Y C G. Lee, and R. J O Davies Pleurodesis for malignant pleural effusion: talc, toxicity and where next? Thorax, July 1, 2008; 63(7): 572 - 574. [Full Text] [PDF]