In this episode of The Atrium, host Dr. Alice Copperwheat speaks with Professor Eric Lim, Professor of Thoracic Surgery at Imperial College London and Consultant Thoracic Surgeon at the Royal Brompton Hospital in London, UK, about pleural sepsis.  

Chapters 

00:00 Intro 

00:30 Dr. Lim Background 

01:26 Why CT Surgery & Clinical Research? 

05:09 Definition & Overview 

07:50 Causes 

09:29 Clinical Presentations & Investigations 

16:03 Management, RAPID Score 

19:49 Medical Management 

22:15 Chest Tube Management (ICD) 

25:12 IF, Medical Decortication 

25:48 Surgical Management 

29:30 History 

30:34 Debridement & Decortication, Approach 

34:30 Patient Positioning 

35:18 Thoracotomy 

38:43 VATS 

39:37 Technical Steps 

43:18 Postoperative Management 

49:37 Complications 

50:58 Summarizing Points 

51:50 Surgery Training Advice 

They provide an overview of pleural sepsis, highlighting its three stages: the exudative stage, fibrinopurulent stage, and organizing stage. The discussion covers its history and causes, including complications from pneumonia. They also examine symptoms, failure to progress, and imaging techniques such as ultrasound. Additionally, they delve into pleural fluid analysis, the RAPID score, and management strategies, including medical interventions, chest tube drainage, and intrapleural fibrinolytics. Various surgical management strategies are discussed as well, including thoracotomy, video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS), and robotic approaches. Finally, they address chest tube management, respiratory physiotherapy, acute complications, and long-term complications.   

The Atrium is a monthly podcast presenting clinical and career-focused topics for residents and early career professionals across all cardiothoracic surgery subspecialties. Keep an eye out for next month’s episode.  

Disclaimer

The information and views presented on CTSNet.org represent the views of the authors and contributors of the material and not of CTSNet. Please review our full disclaimer page here.