Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 22, 2026

Local Anesthetic Thoracoscopy for Undiagnosed Pleural Effusion
Published on: November 10, 2023
[Tension haemothorax after removal of pleural pigtail catheter]
Hanna Siegel1, Anne Øberg Lauritsen
1Anæstesiologisk Afdeling Y, Glostrup hospital, Nordre Ringvej 57, 2600 Glostrup.
Abstract:
Today, standard treatment of pleural effusion is ultrasound guided insertion of a pleural pigtail catheter. This procedure is known to have a low complication rate, but complications as pneumothorax, haemorrhage and infection are occurring. The most frequent complications are seen at the time of insertion. We present a case of a 68-year-old woman in the intensive care unit with normal coagulation status who after an uneventful removal of a pleural pigtail catheter developed a tension haemothorax requiring acute evacuation.
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