Surgery and perioperative management for elderly patients with acute empyema

Abstract

We reviewed 4 patients aged 80 or older with acute empyema treated by surgery. They were 3 men and one woman. The average preoperative treatment period was 3.5 days, and the mean operative time was 57 min. The postoperative drainage period was 11 days. Three patients could eat and walk on or the next day of operation. Two patients left our hospital on foot, one patient died of pneumonia after intervention of arteriosclerosis obliterans (ASO), and one died of senile infirmity two months after the operation. In elderly patients with acute empyema, postoperative management in addition to early surgery is also important. Video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) was a safe and less-invasive method for those patients.