RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Clinical characteristics and outcomes of pleural empyema in Southern Tunisia
JF European Respiratory Journal
JO Eur Respir J
FD European Respiratory Society
SP PA3834
DO 10.1183/13993003.congress-2015.PA3834
VO 46
IS suppl 59
A1 Moussa, Nadia
A1 Gargouri, Rahma
A1 Ketata, Wajdi
A1 Trigui, Ghassen
A1 Msaed, Sameh
A1 Yangui, Ilhem
A1 Kammoun, Sami
YR 2015
UL http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/46/suppl_59/PA3834.abstract
AB Aim of the study: Describe clinical characteristics, treatment and evolution of thoracic empyema.Methods: A retrospective review was performed of all adult patients admitted to department of respiratory medicine of Sfax between January 2007 and December 2014 with the diagnosis of empyema.Results: Empyema was diagnosed in 42 patients: 34 men and 8 women. Mean age was 48 years. Lung disease was found in 8 patients, two with COPD ,one with lung cancer, and five patients with (tuberculosis sequelae, asthma ….) . An extra pulmonary pathology was found in 19 patients (chronic renal failure, diabetes, hypothyroidism, neoplasia...). Chest pain and fever were the major presenting symptoms (87%). Streptococcus constellatus (n=3), Streptococcus pneumoniae (n=5) and Klebsiella pneumonia (n=2) were the commonest organism isolated from blood and pleural fluid cultures.In all cases, treatment included an antibiotic use and a respiratory physiotherapy. The thoracentesis were performed in 27 patients and represented the only local action in 13 cases (30.9%). In addition to antibiotic therapy, initial treatment included chest tube drainage in 29 cases (69%) and surgical treatment in two cases. Pleural sequelae were noted in 16 patients with relapses in two others. Fibrinolysis was used in six cases because of multiloculations.Conclusion: Pleural empyema is still associated with considerable morbidity and mortality. The combination of antibiotic therapy and local treatment is the goldstandard. Multiloculation is not a contraindication to an initial trial of chest tube drainage or fibrinolytic therapy.