Pleurodesis

PREOPERATIVE DIAGNOSIS: Large recurrent right pleural effusion.

POSTOPERATIVE DIAGNOSIS: Large recurrent right pleural effusion.

PROCEDURE:
1. Conscious sedation.
2. Chest tube talc pleurodesis of the right chest.

INDICATIONS: The patient is a 65-year-old lady with a history of cirrhosis who has developed a recurrent large right pleural effusion. Chest catheter had been placed previously, and she had been draining up to 1.5 liters of serous fluid a day. Eventually, this has decreased and a talc pleurodesis is being done to see her pleural effusion does not recur.

SPECIMENS: None.

ESTIMATED BLOOD LOSS: Zero.

NARRATIVE: After obtaining informed consent from the patient and her daughter, the patient was assessed and found to be in good condition and a good candidate for conscious sedation. Vital signs were taken. These were stable, so the patient was then given initially 0.5 mg of Versed and 2 mg of morphine IV. After a couple of minutes, she was assessed and found to be awake but calm, so then the chest tube was clamped and then through the chest tube a solution of 120 mL of normal saline containing 5 g of talc and 40 mg of lidocaine were then put into her right chest taking care that no air would go in to create a pneumothorax. She was then laid on her left lateral decubitus position for 5 minutes and then turned into the right lateral decubitus position for 5 minutes and then the chest tube was unclamped. The patient was given additional 0.5 mg of Versed and 0.5 mg of Dilaudid IV achieving a state where the patient was comfortable but readily responsive. The patient tolerated the procedure well. She did complain of up to a 7/10 pain, but quickly this was brought under control. The chest tube was unclamped. Now, the patient will be left to rest and she will get a chest x-ray in the morning.