RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Fifteen-minute consultation: A structured approach to children with parapneumonic effusion and empyema thoracis
JF Archives of disease in childhood - Education & practice edition
JO Arch Dis Child Educ Pract Ed
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health
SP 86
OP 90
DO 10.1136/archdischild-2021-322621
VO 108
IS 2
A1 Joanna Kirstin B Dykes
A1 Adam Lawton
A1 Saskia Burchett
A1 Atul Gupta
YR 2023
UL http://ep.bmj.com/content/108/2/86.abstract
AB Parapneumonic effusion is defined as the accumulation of pleural fluid associated with lung infection/pneumonia. Parapneumonic effusions can be uncomplicated or complicated. They are caused by the spread of infection and inflammation to the pleural space, and can develop into empyema thoracis—frank pus in the pleural space. Chest radiograph and thoracic ultrasound are the key imaging modalities for the diagnosis of parapneumonic effusion. Management aims are reducing inflammation and bacteria in the pleural cavity, and enabling full lung expansion. Broad-spectrum intravenous antibiotics, with the addition of chest tube drainage and fibrinolytic therapy for larger collections, are the mainstays of management. This article provides a clear, evidence-based and structured approach to the assessment and management of parapneumonic effusion/empyema thoracis in children and young people.