Polskie Archiwum Medycyny Wewnętrznej
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Pol. Arch. Med. Wewn. · Jan 2007
Review[Parapneumonic pleural effusion: difficulties in making therapeutic decisions].
Pneumonia is the second most common cause of pleural effusion. The presence of pleural fluid makes the prognosis in patients with pneumonia worse and causes a higher mortality rate. This is why it is very important to undertake suitable treatment as soon as possible. ⋯ For many years determining biochemical fluid characteristics has been used for this purpose. Presentlythe usefullness of new parameters is being evaluated. Their application in diagnostics was possible thanks to better knowledge of mechanisms that participate in the development of parapneumonic pleural effusion.