Affiliation:
1. Associate Professor, Department of Cardio-thoracic Surgery, Sawai Man Singh Medical College, Jaipur
2. Senior Resident, Institute of Respiratory Diseases, Sawai Man Singh Medical College, Jaipur
3. Senior Professor, Institute of Respiratory Diseases, Sawai Man Singh Medical College, Jaipur
Abstract
Background: Various treatment options are available for the management of empyema including
medical therapy, open and closed drainage, decortication and thoracoplasty. Pleuro-cutaneous window
(PC window) is an accepted method of treatment for optimal drainage of chronic empyemas. Open window thoracostomy
should be considered in debilitated patients with empyema, where denitive surgery is not indicated and failure to control the
disease by tube thoracostomy. Materials and Method: This was a single center study, conducted on 60 patients of chronic
empyema at Institute of Respiratory Diseases during January 2016 to December 2020. These patients were initially treated with
medical therapy and chest tube drainage but their lungs were not completely expanded. They were not the candidates for
denitive surgery at that time because of their medical and lungs condition, hence they were treated by pleura-cutaneous
window. Results: Mean age of patients in our study was 35.63 ± 12.14 years and age range was 15 to 60 years. In our study 49
patients were male and 11 were females. Patients with left sided empyema were 34 (56.67%) and with right sided empyema
were 26 (43.33%). Most of the patients 44 (73.33%) had chest tube drainage for 3 to 4 months. Average duration of hospital stay
was 7 days. Lung expansion occurred in 32 (53.33%) patients. Conclusion: Open drainage by pleuro-cutaneous window
expands the entrapped lungs despite the presence of broncho-pleural stulas. Pleuro-cutaneous window also has
psychological benets in these patients
Subject
Paleontology,Stratigraphy,Global and Planetary Change,Paleontology,Stratigraphy,Global and Planetary Change,Atmospheric Science,Environmental Science (miscellaneous),Global and Planetary Change,Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law,Atmospheric Science,General Environmental Science,Environmental Chemistry,Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law,Atmospheric Science,Geography, Planning and Development,Global and Planetary Change,Atmospheric Science,Global and Planetary Change,Atmospheric Science,Global and Planetary Change,Pharmacology,Toxicology,Pharmacology (medical),Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine,Complementary and alternative medicine,General Medicine