Postpneumonectomy Empyema in Pulmonary Carcinoma Patients

Abstract

The postpneumonectomy empyema of 12 pulmonary carcinoma patients was treated with open window thoracostomy and, whenever possible, with later closure of the thoracostomy. Six of the patients had no bronchial fistula and the pleural cavity of four of them remained healed after the closure of the thoracostomy. Six patients had bronchopleural fistulae. The pleural cavity of one of them remained healed after the closure of the thoracostomy following spontaneous healing of a small bronchial fistula. The cases, in which closure of thoracostomy was not undertaken on account of open bronchial fistula and those in which recurrence of empyema necessitated reopening of the thoracostomy, were managed satisfactorily with permanent open window thoracostomy.