ArticleBMC pulmonary medicine2022
Retrospective review comparing intrapleural fibrinolytic therapy (alteplase) and surgical intervention in complex pleural effusion.
Article in BMC pulmonary medicine, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed, 7 citations in OpenAlex.
- A pilot randomised, open label controlled trial comparing safety and efficacy of pleural irrigation with normal saline versus intrapleural tissue plasminogen activator and DNase (fibrinolytic therapy) in pleural infection.BMC pulmonary medicine · 2026Trial
- Pleural infection: controversies on the therapeutic strategies.Current opinion in pulmonary medicine · 2025Review
- Intrapleural tissue plasminogen activator and deoxyribonuclease in complex pleural effusion and empyema, clinical outcomes, and predictors.Therapeutic advances in respiratory diseaseObservational
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
11 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundIntrapleural fibrinolytic therapy (IPFT) is one of the treatment options for complex pleural effusion. In this study, the IPFT agent used was alteplase, a tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA). This study aims to determine the difference in the outcome of patients with complex pleural effusion between IPFT and surgery in terms of radiological improvement, inflammatory parameters, length of stay, and post-intervention complications.
methodsA retrospective review of patients with complex pleural effusion treated at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Center from January 2012 to August 2020 was performed. Patient demographics, chest imaging, drainage chart, inflammatory parameters, length of hospital stay, and post-intervention and outcome were analyzed.
resultsFifty-eight patients were identified (surgical intervention, n = 18; 31% and IPFT, n = 40, 69%). The mean age was 51.7 ± 18.2 years. Indication for surgical intervention was pleural infection (n = 18; 100%), and MPE (n = 0). Indications for IPFT was pleural infection (n = 30; 75%) and MPE (n = 10; 25%). The dosages of t-PA were one to five doses of 2-50 mg. The baseline chest radiograph in the IPFT group was worse than in the surgical intervention group. (119.96 ± 56.05 vs. 78.19 ± 55.6; p = 0.029) At week 1, the radiological success rate for IPFT and surgical intervention were 27% and 20%, respectively, and at weeks 4-8, the success rate was 56% and 80% respectively. IPFT was associated with lesser complications; fever (17.5%), chest pain (10%), and non-life-threatening bleeding (5%).
conclusionIPFT was comparable to surgery in radiological outcome, inflammatory parameters, and length of stay with lesser reported complications.
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