Indwelling pleural catheter for outpatient management of tuberculous empyema

Ambreen Iqbal Muhammad; Joseph Gavin; Alex Wilkinson

doi:10.1136/bcr-2019-233213

Indwelling pleural catheter for outpatient management of tuberculous empyema

BMJ Case Rep. 2020 Mar 8;13(3):e233213. doi: 10.1136/bcr-2019-233213.

Authors

Ambreen Iqbal Muhammad¹, Joseph Gavin², Alex Wilkinson²

Affiliations

¹ Respiratory Department, East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, UK [email protected].
² Respiratory Department, East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, UK.

Abstract

The use of indwelling pleural catheters (IPC) is well established in the treatment of malignant pleural effusions. They allow symptom management with intermittent drainage without requiring overnight admission to hospital. However, little is known about their effectiveness in the treatment of pleural infections. Here, we present a case where an IPC is used in the therapeutic management of tuberculous empyema. The IPC enabled outpatient treatment, allowed the patient to return to work and reduced the cost of treatment and the risk of hospital-acquired complications.

Keywords: pleural infection; tuberculosis.

Publication types

Case Reports

MeSH terms

Adult
Ambulatory Care*
Antibiotics, Antitubercular / therapeutic use
Catheters, Indwelling*
Combined Modality Therapy
Empyema, Tuberculous / therapy*
Humans
Male
Thoracostomy

Substances

Antibiotics, Antitubercular