Efficacy of standardizing fibrinolytic therapy for parapneumonic effusion

While chest tube placement with pleural fibrinolytic medication is the established treatment of pediatric empyema, treatment failure is reported in up to 20% of these children.

Standardizing fibrinolytic administration among interventional radiology (IR) physicians to improve patient outcomes in pediatric parapneumonic effusion.

We introduced a hospital-wide clinical pathway for parapneumonic effusion (1-2 mg tissue plasminogen activator [tPA] twice daily based on pleural US grade); we then collected prospective data for IR treatment May 2017 through February 2020. These data included demographics, co-morbidities, pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) admission, pleural US grade, culture results, daily tPA dose average, twice-daily dose days, skipped dose days, pleural therapy days, need for chest CT/a second IR procedure/surgical drainage, and length of stay. We compared the prospective data to historical controls with IR treatment from January 2013 to April 2017.

Sixty-three children and young adults were treated after clinical pathway implementation. IR referrals increased (P = 0.02) and included higher co-morbidities (P = 0.005) and more PICU patients (P = 0.05). Mean doses per day increased from 1.5 to 1.9 (P < 0.001), twice-daily dose days increased from 38% to 79% (P < 0.001) and median pleural therapy days decreased from 3.5 days to 2.5 days (P = 0.001). No IR patients needed surgical intervention. No statistical differences were observed for gender/age/weight, US grade, need for a second IR procedure or length of stay. US grade correlated with greater positive cultures, need for chest CT/second IR procedure, and pleural therapy days.

Interventional radiology physician standardization improved on a clinical pathway for fibrinolysis of parapneumonic effusion. Despite higher patient complexity, pleural therapy duration decreased. There were no chest tube failures needing surgical drainage.