Clinical Profile and Management of Pleural Effusion at Tertiary Hospital of Nepal: An Observational Study

Pleural effusion is the accumulation of excessive fluid in the pleural cavity. Despite the high incidence of pleural effusion in Nepal, there is limited data regarding the clinical profile and its management. The study aims to find out the clinical profile and management of pleural effusion in a tertiary care hospital.

This is a descriptive cross-sectional study done over 24 months in patients with pleural effusion admitted to a tertiary care hospital in Nepal. Ethical clearance was taken from the Institutional Review Committee (No: 134/20). Census sampling was done. All patients who were diagnosed to have pleural effusion were included in the study. The clinical findings, radiological imaging reports, management record and relevant data of each case were retrieved from the medical records. Data were analysed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences 25.

Among 273 cases ofpleural effusion, 186 (68.1%) were male. The mean age of the patients was 48.83±22.87 and 97 (35.53%) were above 60 years. The pleural effusion on right side was 137 (50.93%). Among all cases, 241 (88.3%) were managed conservatively; 72 (29.88%) with antitubercular therapy and 169 (70.12%) without antitubercular therapy, while surgical management was required in 32 (11.7%) cases.

The most common cause of pleural effusion was tubercular in origin; majority of cases can be managed conservatively, and only particular cases require surgical interventions like chest tube placement or thoracotomy.