Summary of characteristics for individual disease groups
| Reason for drain removal, % (n), total=28 | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Disease group | N | Median number of procedures before IPC | Mean maximum fluid output (L/week) | Suspected pleural infection | Significant loculation | Dislodgement | Concerns about risk of infection from non-respiratory team | Removed during operation | Spontaneous pleurodesis* | Median time to spontaneous pleurodesis (days) | Pleural infection, % (n) |
| Cardiac | 9 | 2 | 1.53 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 44 (4) | 38 | 0 (0) |
| Chylothorax | 2 | 3 | 2.40 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50 (1) | 313 | 0 (0) |
| Empyema | 9 | 1.5 | 0.42 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11.1 (1) | 56 (5) | 115 | 0 (0) |
| Hepatic hydrothorax | 19 | 4.5 | 5.14 | 5.3 (1) | 5.3 (1) | 5.3 (1) | 5.3 (1) | 15.8 (3)† | 11 (2) | 222 | 5.3 (1) |
| Inflammatory pleuritis‡ | 15 | 1.5 | 2.13 | 0 | 6.7 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 (5) | 28 | 6.7 (1) |
| Yellow nail syndrome | 3 | 3 | 1.15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 67 (2) | 101 | 0 (0) |
| Overall | 57 | 3 | 2.8 | 4 (1) | 7 (2) | 4 (1) | 4 (1) | 14 (4) | 33 (19) | 71 | 3.5 (2) |
*Pleurodesis was defined according to local practice, but in all cases patients were felt to have had a significant reduction in the volume of drainage without evidence of drain blockage or loculation.
†Two patients underwent isolated liver transplant, one patient underwent multivisceral transplant (including liver).
‡All patients with a diagnosis of inflammatory pleuritis had pleural biopsy evidence of chronic inflammation; 4/15 patients had evidence of trapped lung.
IPC, indwelling pleural catheter.