Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 22, 2026

Local Anesthetic Thoracoscopy for Undiagnosed Pleural Effusion
Published on: November 10, 2023
Vacuum-assisted closure of pleural empyema without classic open-window thoracostomy
Hans-Stefan Hofmann1, Rudolf Schemm, Christian Grosser
1Department of Thoracic Surgery, Hospital Barmherzige Brüder Regensburg, and Department of Thoracic Surgery, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany. hans-stefan.hofmann@barmherzige-regensburg.de
Abstract:
A 64-year-old man was diagnosed with complex empyema after a second course of palliative chemotherapy for metastatic lung cancer. Because of the poor general condition of the patient, the decision was made to proceed with vacuum-assisted closure (VAC) therapy of the empyema without Eloesser or Clagett open-window thoracostomy (OWT). Installation and changing of the VAC sponge were performed using the ALEXIS Wound Protector/Retractor (Applied Medical, Rancho Santa Margarita, CA), a flexible polymer membrane tube. After 10 days of VAC treatment, the pleural cavity was sterile and was closed with single stitches. Chemotherapy was resumed 1 week later.
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