Post-traumatic empyema thoracis in blunt chest trauma.

ABSTRACT

Three out of 42 patients who had isolated blunt chest injury requiring closed tube thoracostomy developed post-traumatic empyema thoracis. All of them were treated by thoracotomy and evacuation of the infected fluid with multiple chest tube drainage. Cultures of the pleural fluid grew Staphylococcus aureus in these 3 patients. Univariate analysis was performed by using Fisher's exact test which revealed the significance of age in association with the development of empyema thoracis. Multivariate analysis was performed by using Logistic Regression. Although no statistical significance was observed, the analysis revealed that the risk of empyema thoracis increased in elderly patients and in patients who had prolonged placement of thoracostomy tube. Intensive pulmonary care in elderly patients who sustained chest injury and early removal of thoracostomy tube is recommended in order to prevent the development of empyema thoracis.