MANAGEMENT OF PARAPNEUMONIC PLEURAL EFFUSION AND EMPYEMA IN CHILDREN: A
TALE OF TWO CITIES
Abstract
Pleural drainage was differently performed in two similar neighboring
hospitals (32.0 % vs. 58.2 %, p < 0.001), but the length of
stay was shorter in the hospital using a more conservative approach
(median 12 days vs. 18 days, p < 0.001). This result seemed
unrelated to severity but associated with the shorter duration of
intravenous treatment. This study adds to previous reports suggesting
that pleural drainage is unnecessary in many cases; controlled studies
are needed to determine which patients may actually benefit from its
use.