Empyema

• If you have empyema, you may notice symptoms such as:
• Sharp chest pain that worsens when you take a deep breath
• Difficulty breathing
• Persistent cough, sometimes with mucus
• Fever, chills, and general fatigue
• Night sweats and unintentional weight loss

These symptoms can resemble pneumonia but are generally longer-lasting in empyema cases.

To determine if empyema is present, your doctor may recommend:

1. Physical exam – Listening to the chest to detect unusual sounds.
2. Imaging:
   - Chest X-ray
   - CT scan, usually with contrast
   - Ultrasound
3. Fluid analysis:
   - Thoracentesis to remove and examine pleural fluid
   - Testing the fluid for bacteria, acidity, and cell composition

Treating empyema involves clearing the infection and may require a combination of methods:

• Antibiotics – Broad-spectrum antibiotics are prescribed to address infection, tailored to specific bacteria when identified. Treatment usually last for six weeks.
• Drainage – Draining the pus through a chest tube or a catheter is crusial and the first line treatment in the majority of cases
• Intrapleural therapy – Sometimes, medication is given through the chest tube to help dissolve deposits and improve drainage.
• Surgical procedures – For advanced cases, surgery may be necessary to remove infected tissue and restore lung function. This can be perfored either via thoracoscopy, mainly in early phases of the disease, but more commonly via open chest surgery.