Combining VATS poudrage and insertion of an indwelling pleural catheter – a Single Center Report Study

Objective: The combination of VATS poudrage with simultaneous insertion of an indwelling pleural catheter (IPC) for management of massive pleural effusions (MPE) was implemented at our department. The idea was to achieve successful pleurodesis to avoid recurrent MPE and to shorten hospitalization time. The aim of this study is to determine whether our treatment is superior to simple talc poudrage. The study has been approved by an ethics commission. Methods: It is a retrospective descriptive study analyzing data of patients treated at our department since the implementation of the method in 2013 until today. Pat…