Innovative Management of a Difficult Case of Hepatic Hydrothorax

Abstract

Hepatic hydrothorax affects 5%–15% of decompensated cirrhosis patients, with up to 26% being refractory to standard treatments. For those ineligible for transjugular intrahepatic systemic shunts or liver transplants, alternatives to repeated thoracentesis are limited but can include the insertion of an indwelling pleural catheter. We present the first case of the use of an automatic low-flow ascites pump (alfapump) to manage nonmalignant pleural effusion in an elderly patient with cirrhosis.