• Leticia Leone Lauricella, Paula Duarte D'Ambrosio, Priscila Berenice da Costa, Marcia Cristina Augusto, Paulo Manuel Pêgo-Fernandes, and Ricardo Mingarini Terra.
• Instituto do Câncer do Estado de São Paulo (ICESP), Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo (HCFMUSP), São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
• Clinics (Sao Paulo). 2022 Jan 1; 77: 100063.

BackgroundThe use of Indwelling Pleural Catheter (IPC) in the care of patients with Malignant Pleural Effusion (MPE) is well established, however studies involving public health systems of low and middle-income countries are still lacking. This study aimed to determine the effect of IPC on the respiratory symptoms and Quality of Life (QoL) of patients with MPE in the setting of a Brazilian public health system.MethodsFrom August 2015 to November 2019, patients with MPE underwent IPC placement and were prospectively followed. QoL and respiratory symptoms were assessed by the EORTC questionnaires (QLQ-30; LC13) and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), respectively, at pre-treatment, 30 , and 60 days after IPC placement.Results56 patients were enrolled with 57 catheters inserted. The mean age was 63 (23‒88) years, of which 17 (30%) were men and 39 (70%) were women. Breast 24 (42%) and lung 21 (37%) were the main primary neoplasms. Cellulitis was the most common complication and all patients recovered with appropriate antimicrobial therapy. QoL did not change significantly over time, however, the VAS showed a significant improvement in dyspnea (+1.2: -0.5; p = 0.001).ConclusionIPC relieves respiratory symptoms without compromising the QoL, with a low complication rate. It represents a suitable option for patients with MPE and short LE in an emerging country.Copyright © 2022 HCFMUSP. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

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