Abstract
There have been few reports on intrapleural fibrinolytic therapy for acute empyema in elderly patients and the therapeutic effects for them have not been clarified as yet. We retrospectively studied ten patients with the age of 75 and over who received intrapleural fibrinolytic therapy for acute empyema in our hospital since 2011. The male-to-female ratio was eight to two. The median age was 84 years. All patients had some underlying diseases. The performance status (PS) was more than three in six patients. Cure of empyema could be gained in nine patients, and no serious adverse events were reported. The median values of the drainage period and hospital stay were 6 days and 29 days, respectively. In another study, the patients were divided into two groups according to PS, namely, the good PS group (PS 0-2) and the poor PS group (PS 3-4). Significantly shortened durations in the drainage period (p=0.018) and the hospital stay (p=0.019) were noted in the good PS group.
It can be concluded that intrapleural fibrinolytic therapy which carries no serious complications is a safe therapy for acute empyema in elderly patents. The therapeutic effects were generally favorable, but the effects might be restricted when it is given to a patient whose PS is poor.
