Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery in Community-Acquired Thoracic Empyema: Analysis of Risk Factors for Mortality

Thoracic empyema is a disease with high mortality and morbidity. Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) is recommended to treat advanced stage empyema. The purpose of this study was to explore risk factors associated with post-surgery mortality for community-acquired empyema. We retrospectively reviewed 440 patients who received VATS for community-acquired empyema, higher than stage 2, in a tertiary medical center in Taiwan. Patients' age, comorbidities, pleural effusion analysis, and post-surgery outcome were compiled. Cox regression model for survival was applied to identify risk factors of 90-day death after surgery. Fifty-three patients (12.05%) had died within 90 days post-surgery. The risk factors of mortality were advanced age (hazard ratio [HR], 1.027; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.001-1.052), chronic kidney disease (HR, 5.322; 95% CI, 2.635-10.746), cancer (HR, 6.038; 95% CI, 2.737-13.321), pleural effusion pH ≤7 (HR, 2.61; 95% CI, 1.344-5.069), pleural effusion protein ≤4 (HR, 2.021; 95% CI, 1.035-3.947), and late surgery (HR, 3.014; 95% CI, 1.595-5.696). The 90-day mortality in the early surgery group versus the late group was 6.85% versus 26.05%. The increased mortality risk from late surgery was observed in most subgroups, except for patients who were female, had chronic renal disease, and had coronary artery disease. Patients who are elderly, have chronic kidney disease, cancer history, low pleural effusion pH, low pleural effusion protein, and late surgery are associated with post-surgery mortality for community-acquired advanced empyema. Early VATS surgery for advanced empyema or treatment failure of chest tube drainage appears to beneficial and is recommended.