Background

Pleural infection represents a significant burden of disease to patients and healthcare system, due to substantial morbidity and mortality worldwide, without a definite consensus on the optimal treatment approach and relative outcomes

Objectives

To assess type and timing of first-line interventions and clinical outcomes of patients with pleural infection

Methods

Patients hospitalized with a diagnosis of pleural infection from 2015 to 2020 are included in this, ongoing, multi-center retrospective study, involving tertiary hospitals across Italy. The following data are collected: clinical features, including effusion aspect, type and timing of first-line treatment (aspiration, drainage and size; medical thoracoscopy-MT; surgery), surgery referral, length of hospital stay, 30-day mortality

Results

To date, data from 182 patients (4 centres) have been collected. MT was most frequent first-line approach (41%), followed by chest drain (16%; prevalence of large bore tube), thoracentesis (9%) and surgery (9%). Two thirds (69%) of interventions were performed within the first 48 hours. A subsequent surgery referral was needed in 10% of patients and was most frequent in chest drain subgroup as compared to MT one. Hospital stay was 11.7, 11.4 and 22.5 days in patients who never underwent surgery, who underwent surgery at onset and who underwent second-line surgery, respectively (p<0.01). Mortality at 30-day was 2%

Conclusions

Our preliminary data showed that MT was the most common approach to pleural infections, although first-line management was heterogenic. Short-term clinical outcomes were overall favourable, but likely influenced by timely intervention and high level expertise of centres