Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38229682›Full record

ReviewBreathe (Sheffield, England)2023

Diagnosis and management of pleural infection.

Alguili Elsheikh, Malvika Bhatnagar, Najib M Rahman

Open access · diamondAbstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Breathe (Sheffield, England), 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
16citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
6.5field-weighted citation impact, top 3% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

16 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 25 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Outcomes of intrapleural fibrinolytic and deoxyribonuclease therapy in pleural infection: a systematic review and meta-analysis.European respiratory review : an official journal of the European Respiratory Society · 2026
    Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Local management of pleural infection: a narrative review.European journal of medical research · 2026
    Review
  6. Review
  7. Culture-Confirmed Severe Methicillin-SusceptibleInfection and drug resistance · 2026
    Article
  8. Article
  9. Article
  10. Article
  11. Article
  12. Observational
  13. Observational
  14. Review
  15. Review
  16. Diagnosing and managing pleural disease.Breathe (Sheffield, England) · 2023
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Alguili ElsheikhOxford Centre for Respiratory Medicine, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK.
Malvika BhatnagarCardiothoracic Unit, Freeman Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9138-2408
Najib M RahmanOxford Centre for Respiratory Medicine, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK.
University of Oxford · GBFreeman Hospital · GB

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Pleural infection remains a medical challenge. Although closed tube drainage revolutionised treatment in the 19th century, pleural infection still poses a significant health burden with increasing incidence. Diagnosis presents challenges due to non-specific clinical presenting features. Imaging techniques such as chest radiographs, thoracic ultrasound and computed tomography scans aid diagnosis. Pleural fluid analysis, the gold standard, involves assessing gross appearance, biochemical markers and microbiology. Novel biomarkers such as suPAR (soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor) and PAI-1 (plasminogen activator inhibitor-1) show promise in diagnosis and prognosis, and microbiology demonstrates complex microbial diversity and is associated with outcomes. The management of pleural infection involves antibiotic therapy, chest drain insertion, intrapleural fibrinolytic therapy and surgery. Antibiotic therapy relies on empirical broad-spectrum antibiotics based on local policies, infection setting and resistance patterns. Chest drain insertion is the mainstay of management, and use of intrapleural fibrinolytics facilitates effective drainage. Surgical interventions such as video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery and decortication are considered in cases not responding to medical therapy. Risk stratification tools such as the RAPID (renal, age, purulence, infection source and dietary factors) score may help guide tailored management. The roles of other modalities such as local anaesthetic medical thoracoscopy and intrapleural antibiotics are debated. Ongoing research aims to improve outcomes by matching interventions with risk profile and to better understand the development of disease.

Identifiers

PMID38229682
PMCPMC10790177
OpenAlexW4390913487

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.