Careful identification of patients suitable for discharge with a portable suction device achieved a significant cost-saving and freed hospital beds, thus allowing increased surgical activity. Patients were also able to be cared for within their home environment and maintain their quality of life.
Computed tomographic imaging is not recommended as an essential prerequisite in surgery for pleuro-pulmonary sepsis in the current guidelines. We highlight one consequent pitfall and its sequelae. We report the discharge of gallstones through a healed intercostal drain site four months following video-assisted thoracic surgery for early pleural empyema secondary to missed calculous gallstone disease. The importance of awareness and a high index of suspicion to diagnose the underlying extra-thoracic cause of a right-sided pleural collection in a patient with a previous history of gallstone disease cannot be overemphasised.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.