Role of video assisted thoracoscopy in management of empyema thoracis

ABSTRACT

The hospital based Cohort study was carried out over a period of 21 months to analyze and evaluate the out come of patients who had presented with acute stage of empyema thoracis and were treated by video assisted thoracoscopy. 30 patients with acute empyema thoracis received treatment by video assisted thoracoscopy in Combined Military Hospital Rawalpindi from March 2000 to December 2001. Both civilians as well as military personnel were included in the study out of which 22 were males and 8 were females. Majority of the patients were of 30 years and above age group. The most common etiology was respiratory tract infection with pneumonia and tuberculosis making the largest proportion. The leading presenting symptoms included low grade pyrexia, breathlessness, loss of weight and chest pain. One third of patients had some other associated systemic illness. Video assisted thoracoscopy was used in all 30 patients with only 2 patients requiring open thoracotomy. Post operative wound infection was the most commonly encountered complication. In most of the cases the procedure was over within an hour and in majority of patients hospital stay was upto 2 weeks. There was one death, which was not due to procedure but due to septicemia. These results are similar to those found elsewhere in the world