Clinical Case Database / Category: Practical Procedure

Chemical pleurodesis: what is it and how to do it

Publication details

A Gondker MRCP, S Pathmanathan MRCP, JA Kastelik MD FRCP
Foundation Years Journal, volume 5, issue 9, p.88 (123Doc Education, London, October 2011)

Abstract

Bedside medical pleurodesis is a procedure that is performed to prevent re-occurrence of pleural fluid. Medical pleurodesis is usually performed in the context of patients with recurrent pleural effusion due to underlying malignancy. The procedure involves instillation of an agent such as Talc into the pleural space. The aim of the procedure is to prevent pleural fluid from recurring by artificial obliteration of the pleural space through creation of an adhesion between the parietal and visceral pleura. The common complications of pleurodesis include pain, fever and occasionally potentially fatal respiratory failure due to pneumonitis or adult respiratory distress syndrome. It is important that the procedure and its complications are carefully explained to the patient and documented in the medical notes. Currently medical bedside pleurodesis carries a success rate of approximately 80%. Alternative procedures that allow for pleurodesis to be performed, which carry much higher rate of success but are also more invasive, include medical thoracoscopy and video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS).

Access the Clinical Cases Database

A subscription is required to read the full article. Please subscribe using one of the options below.

ProductPriceSubscription
Foundation Years Clinical Cases Database£29.006 months
Add to cart
Foundation Years Clinical Cases Database£39.0012 months
Add to cart

Authors

A Gondker MRCP

Department of Respiratory Medicine
Hull University, Hull York Medical School
Castle Hill Hospital
Castle Road
Cottingham
East Yorkshire HU16 5JQ

S Pathmanathan MRCP

Department of Respiratory Medicine
Hull University, Hull York Medical School
Castle Hill Hospital
Castle Road
Cottingham
East Yorkshire HU16 5JQ

JA Kastelik MD FRCP

Department of Respiratory Medicine
Hull University, Hull York Medical School
Castle Hill Hospital
Castle Road
Cottingham
East Yorkshire HU16 5JQ
jack.kastelik@hey.nhs.uk

References

1. Roberts M, Neville E, Berrisford R, et al. British Thoracic Society. Management of Malignant pleural effusion: British Thoracic Society Pleural Disease Guideline 2010. Thorax 2010;65(Suppl 2):ii32-ii40.
2. Shaw PHS, Agarwal R. Pleurodesis for malignant pleural effusions. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2004, Issue 1. Art. No.: CD002916. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD002916.pub2. Available from: URL http://www.cochrane.org.

Disclaimers

Conflict Of Interest

The Journal requires that authors disclose any potential conflict of interest that they may have. This is clearly stated in the Journal’s published “Guidelines for Authors”. The Journal follows the Guidelines against Conflict of Interest published in the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals (http://www.icmje.org/urm_full.pdf).

Financial Statement

The authors of this article have not been paid. The Journal is financed by subscriptions and advertising. The Journal does not receive money from any other sources. The decision to accept or refuse this article for publication was free from financial considerations and was solely the responsibility of the Editorial Panel and Editor-in-Chief.

Patient Consent statement

All pictures and investigations shown in this article are shown with the patients’ consent. We require Authors to maintain patients’ anonymity and to obtain consent to report investigations and pictures involving human subjects when anonymity may be compromised. The Journal follows the Guidelines of the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts (http://www.icmje.org/urm_full.pdf). The Journal requires in its Guidelines for Authors a statement from Authors that “the subject gave informed consent”.

Animal & Human Rights

When reporting experiments on human subjects, the Journal requires authors to indicate whether the procedures followed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation (institutional and national) and with the HelsinkiDeclaration of 1975, as revised in 2008.

About the Clinical Cases Database

T​he Foundation Years Clinical Cases Database is​ a selection of 600 peer-reviewed clinical cases in the field of patient safety and clinical practice, specifically focused on the clinical information needs of junior doctors, based around the Foundation Year Curriculum programme (MMC). The cases have been chosen to align with the Foundation Year Curriculum.

The database is fully searchable, or can be browsed by medical specialty. Abstracts can be read free of charge, however a subscription is required in order to read the complete cases.