Outcomes of Pleural Space Infections in Patients With Indwelling Pleural Catheters for Active Malignancies

Pleural infections related to indwelling pleural catheters (IPCs) are an uncommon clinical problem. However, management decisions can be complex for patients with active malignancies due to their comorbidities and limited life expectancies. There are limited studies on the management of IPC-related infections, including whether to remove the IPC or use intrapleural fibrinolytics.

We conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients with active malignancies and IPC-related empyemas at our institution between January 1, 2005 and May 31, 2021. The primary outcome was to evaluate clinical outcomes in patients with malignant pleural effusions and IPC-related empyemas treated with intrapleural tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) and deoxyribonuclease (DNase) compared with those treated with tPA alone or no intrapleural fibrinolytic therapy. The secondary outcome evaluated was the incidence of bleeding complications.

We identified 69 patients with a malignant pleural effusion and an IPC-related empyema. Twenty patients received tPA/DNase, 9 received tPA alone, and 40 were managed without fibrinolytics. Those treated with fibrinolytics were more likely to have their IPCs removed as part of the initial management strategy ( P =0.004). The rate of surgical intervention and mortality attributable to the empyema were not significantly different between treatment groups. There were no bleeding events in any group.

In patients with IPC-related empyemas, we did not find significant differences in the rates of surgical intervention, empyema-related mortality, or bleeding complications in those treated with intrapleural tPA/DNase, tPA alone, or no fibrinolytics. More patients who received intrapleural fibrinolytics had their IPCs removed, which may have been due to selection bias.