Rahul Bhatnagar, Elaine D Reid, John P Corcoran, Jessamy D Bagenal, Sandra Pope, Amelia O Clive, Natalie Zahan-Evans, Peter O Froeschle, Douglas West, Najib M Rahman, Sumit Chatterji, Pasupathy R Sivasothy, Nick A Maskell
Indwelling pleural catheters (IPCs) are commonly used in the management of malignant pleural effusion (MPE). There is little data on their use in non-malignant conditions. All IPC insertions for non-malignant cases from five large UK centres were found using prospectively maintained databases. Data were collected on 57 IPC insertions. The commonest indications were hepatic hydrothorax (33%) and inflammatory pleuritis (26%). The mean weekly fluid output was 2.8 L (SD 2.52). 48/57 (84%) patients had no complications...
October 2014: Thorax