Chest
Complications Associated with Thoracocentesis
Section snippets
MATERIALS AND METHODS
In order to accomplish our goal, we designed a prospective audit. First, all medical house officers were notified when the study was to begin and that each procedure would be concurrently audited. They were asked to write a detailed procedure note that included a description of the procedure, the indication, the equipment used, the anesthesia used, the position of the patient during the procedure, the location of the thoracocentesis by interspace, the amount and character of the fluid obtained,
RESULTS
During a ten month period of time, 125 thoracocenteses were performed on 91 patients in our medical service, which served as our data base. Of the 125 procedures, 114 (91 percent) were prospectively identified, while an additional 11 (9 percent) were retrospectively identified by computer review. Of the 91 patients, 70 (77 percent) were concurrently and independently interviewed and examined. Out of the 125 procedures, 112 (90 percent) were performed at the bedside by house officers, two after
DISCUSSION
By prospectively designing a study to audit the spectrum and frequency of complications associated with the performance of thoracocentesis in a university teaching hospital, we determined that thoracocentesis can carry the risk of frequent morbidity. The overall complication rate, including minor as well as major complications, was 46 percent. Pneumothorax occurred in 11 percent. Although we were initially surprised at the apparent high frequency and severity of the complications associated
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The authors thank Bonnie J. Cazeault for secretarial assistance.
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Presented in part at the 50th Annual Meeting, American College of Chest Physicians, Dallas, TX, October 8-12, 1984.
Manuscript received November 11; revision accepted December 30.