• Rahul Bhatnagar, Elaine D Reid, John P Corcoran, Jessamy D Bagenal, Sandra Pope, Amelia O Clive, Natalie Zahan-Evans, Peter O Froeschle, Douglas West, Najib M Rahman, Sumit Chatterji, Pasupathy R Sivasothy, and Nick A Maskell.
• Academic Respiratory Unit, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
• Thorax. 2014 Oct 1; 69 (10): 959-61.

AbstractIndwelling pleural catheters (IPCs) are commonly used in the management of malignant pleural effusion (MPE). There is little data on their use in non-malignant conditions. All IPC insertions for non-malignant cases from five large UK centres were found using prospectively maintained databases. Data were collected on 57 IPC insertions. The commonest indications were hepatic hydrothorax (33%) and inflammatory pleuritis (26%). The mean weekly fluid output was 2.8 L (SD 2.52). 48/57 (84%) patients had no complications. Suspected pleural infection was documented in 2 (3.5%) cases. 33% (19/57) of patients underwent 'spontaneous' pleurodesis at a median time of 71 days. Patients with hepatic disease achieved pleurodesis significantly less often than those with non-hepatic disease (p=0.03). These data support the use of IPCs in select cases of non-malignant disease when maximal medical therapy has failed.Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

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