Active clinical trials for "Empyema"

During laparoscopic surgery for an acutely inflamed gallbladder, most surgeons routinely insert a drain. However, no consensus has been reached regarding the need for drainage in these cases, and the use of a drain remains controversial. This study is coordinated to find out the surgical outcomes and perioperative morbidity according to the insertion of drain after laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Investigators expect that the routine use of a drain after laparoscopic cholecystectomy for an acutely inflamed gallbladder will have no effects on the postoperative morbidity.

Traumatic hemothorax and hemopneumothorax are common diagnoses which are typically treated by placement of a chest tube. 28-32 Fr chest tubes have previously been shown equivalent to 36-40 Fr chest tubes for the non-emergent drainage of hemothorax. A smaller study has found 14 Fr pigtails had less pain than larger tubes but was not powered to compare outcomes. We seek to perform a prospective randomized trial that is adequately powered comparing efficacy of 14 Fr thal tubes to 28 Fr chest tubes for non-emergent drainage of hemothorax and hemopneumothorax. Additionally, we will employ maximal barrier precautions for all chest tube insertions and compare empyema rates to our historical controls.

Currently, there is no high-quality evidence comparing the clinical outcomes and cost effectiveness of surgical drainage combined with antibiotics versus dual-agent intrapleural fibrinolytic therapy (IPFT) catheter drainage of pleural space infections with concomitant antibiotic therapy. The absence of comparative data is a challenge for surgical and medical services in clinical decision-making for this common and morbid condition. This is a pilot study comparing surgical drainage of the pleural space in complex pleural effusions to bedside chest tube drainage using dual agent IPFT with the intent to inform on study algorithm and endpoint performance in anticipation of a multi-institutional randomized clinical trial.

Bacterial pneumonia can be complicated by the development of excess fluid and pus (pleural empyema) around the lungs in children. The incidence of pleural empyema in children has increased significantly in the last 10 years. Short term morbidity for this condition is substantial, but unlike in adults, the long term outcome of this condition for children in developed countries is favourable. Inserting a chest drain and then adding a medicine (tissue plasminogen activator - tPA) to break down organized pus has been shown to be an effective therapy for reducing the duration of illness. However, this treatment is still suboptimal and prolonged hospitalization is common. Recent data from adults suggests that adding an additional medicine (DNase) to decrease the viscosity (thickness) of the fluid improves drainage and leads to better patient outcomes; however, there are no published studies on children. This is a multi-centre randomized controlled trial comparing the time to discharge from hospital after chest drain insertion in previously well children who present with pleural empyema, treated with intrapleural DNase and tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) by chest drain for three doses over 48 hours compared with three doses over 48 hours of tPA alone. Other outcomes related to effectiveness, safety and cost will be assessed as well.

The purpose of this prospective randomized clinical trial is to compare two currently accepted standard-of-care treatment strategies: Medical thoracoscopy as compared to instillation of intrapleural tissue Plasminogen Activator (TPA) and human recombinant Deoxyribonuclease (DNase) for the management of empyema or complicated parapneumonic effusion (CPPE) in adults.

The purpose of this study is to document the efficacy and safety of intrapleural instillation of Activase vs Placebo in the management of complicated pleural effusions and empyemas

This is a prospective, randomized study comparing VATS( Video-Assisted Thoracoscopy ) to reinsertion of a Thoracostomy Tube in patients with retained haemothorax. The hypothesis is that early VATS as opposed to reinsertion of a thoracostomy tube , will lead to less complications and shorter hospital stay.

This study will compare VATS versus chest drain insertion and urokinase in the treatment of childhood empema by a randomised prospective study.

The purpose of this study is to investigate whether if KatGuide (a new developed medical device) improves the placing of a large bore chest tube in the pleural cavity compared to the conventional method.

A great controversy exists about which is the best method to perform the evacuation of the collection. The purpose of this study is to evaluate which is the best initial treatment to drain complicated parapneumonic empyema (stages II and III) in children: the present study raises a hypothesis of equivalence between both arms of treatment (chest drainage plus intrapleural urokinase or videothoracoscopic debridement).