Health Dictionary
Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.
Pleural effusion natural history
Introduction
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Overview
Overview
Natural History
Natural History
Compications
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.
Prognosis
Prognosis
References
References
complications and prognosis
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]