Emerging concepts in pleural infection.
Curr Opin Pulm Med. 2018 Mar 13;:
Authors: Chan KP, Fitzgerald DB, Lee YCG
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Pleural infection remains an important pulmonary disease, causing significant morbidity and mortality. There is a resurgence of disease burden despite introduction of antibiotics and pneumococcal vaccines. A revisit of the pathogenesis and update on intervention may improve the care of pleural infection.
RECENT FINDINGS: Recent studies have uncovered the prognostic implication of the presence of a pleural effusion in patients with pneumonia. Identifying where the bacteria lives may have diagnostic and therapeutic implications. Over-exaggerated pleural inflammation may underlie development of parapneumonic effusion as indirect evidence and a randomized study in children raised a role of corticosteroids in parapneumonic pleural effusions, but data are lacking for adults. Optimization of the delivery regimen of intrapleural fibrinolytic and deoxyribonuclease therapy is ongoing.
SUMMARY: The review aims to review the current practice and explore new directions of treatment on pleural infection.
PMID: 29538080 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]