Pleural effusion natural history

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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]

Compications

• Only symptomatic pleural effusions or effusions larger than 50% of hemithorax require thoracentesis or chest tube drainage.
• Most resolve spontaneously.
• Postcardiac injury syndrome (PCIS)

  • A general term for fever and pleuropericardial disease days or months after cardiac injury (myocardial infarction or surgery).
  • Typically present two to three weeks post op.

    • Chest pain
    • Pericardial rub
    • Fever
    • Leukocytosis
    • Elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR)
    • Variable combinations of pulmonary effusions and infiltrates.