Observational studyRespiratory research2025
Italian multicentre study on the management of pLeural infection and empyema: IMPLE study.
Observational study in Respiratory research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT07550530 (Multicentre Prospective Comparative Study of Medical Thoracoscopy vs Standard of Care in the Management of Pleural Infection), which is not on this map. Cited by 1 paper.
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.
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.
Multicentre Prospective Comparative Study of Medical Thoracoscopy vs Standard of Care in the Management of Pleural Infection
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Local management of pleural infection: a narrative review.European journal of medical research · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
33 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionPleural infection is a significant global healthcare challenge. While medical thoracoscopy (MT) is well-established for undiagnosed or malignant pleural effusion, its effectiveness in management of pleural infection lacks robust evidence. Moreover, data on the optimal timing of intervention in pleural infection are still scarce.
objectiveTo assess the probability of subsequent surgical referral in adult hospitalized patients with stage 2-3 pleural infection/empyema according to type and time of first procedures accounting for confounders.
methodsWe conducted a multi-centre observational study. We retrospectively collected baseline demographic and clinical characteristics, RAPID score, type and time of first-line intervention. We evaluated their impact on probability of surgical referral, length of hospital stay (LOS) and 90-day mortality using multivariable logistic/multiple quantile regression models.
resultsWe included 509 patients from 14 Italian centres (75.4% male, median (interquartile range) age 63 (49-76) years). Thoracentesis and chest tube placement were associated with a significant higher probability of subsequent surgical referral compared to MT (OR 6.0, 95% CI 1.8-20.6, p=0.004; OR 7.8, 95% CI 2.6-22.5, p<0.001, respectively). Additionally, chest drain insertion and upfront surgery were related to a longer LOS compared to MT (Regression Coefficient Estimates: 4.9; 95% CI 1.5-8.4; 5.2; 95% CI 1.0-9.5, respectively). Furthermore, a delayed intervention, regardless of type, resulted in a longer LOS.
conclusionOur large real-world study provides valuable insights into management and outcomes of pleural infection, revealing different approaches among centres and suggesting that a timely MT, when adopted as first-line intervention, could reduce the probability of subsequent surgical referral, However, further prospective studies are required to confirm these findings.
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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.