This study of 346 consecutive patients confirms that VATS surgery can be performed with low morbidity and no mortality. The cumulative incidence of postoperative infections (including surgical site ...

Chemical pleurodesis. The surgeon puts a chemical, usually talc, into the pleural space (the space between your lungs and your chest wall.)‌ Mechanical pleurodesis. The surgeon abrades (brushes) the ...

DURING the past fifteen years there has been a dramatic decline in the incidence of empyema. This decrease is related to the early treatment of pneumonia with antibiotics, frequently outside hospitals ...

Pleural effusions complicate up to 57% of bacterial pneumonias. They vary in severity, ranging from uncomplicated effusions to empyema. Some require only antibiotics and observation, while others ...

Table 1 summarizes the surgical infections observed and the analysis of differences between groups. Patients who developed one or more postoperative infections were 17/346 (4.9%); since five patients ...