Decisions about Your Academic Medical Center Career Trajectory

Assessing Factors That May Impact Physician-based Decisions for Placing Indwelling Pleural Catheters

“…Indwelling pleural catheter placement has been deemed both safe and effective; however, one major treatment barrier is cost 9 . In patients with extended expected survival times, previous literatures suggested that there were increased cost burdens associated with long term maintenance and management of these IPCs, with increased resources needed for frequent catheter inspection, repeat pleural fluid drainage, expensive equipment fees, frequent dressing changes, home nurse services, and outpatient provider appointments for catheter assessment and troubleshooting 10–14 . When comparing talc pleurodesis with IPC placement, talc pleurodesis costs less in all patients, except when the expected survival time is under 14 weeks 15 .…”