Table 1.
Characteristics of patients with complicated pneumonia requiring pleural fluid drainage, stratified by initial pleural fluid drainage procedure.a
| Overall | Chest Tube without Fibrinolysis | Chest Tube with Fibrinolysis | Thoracotomy | VATS | p | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N | 3500 | 1672 (47.8) | 623 (17.8) | 797 (22.8) | 408 (11.7) | |
| Age | ||||||
| <1 year | 335 (9.6) | 176 (10.5) | 56 (9.0) | 78 (9.8) | 25 (6.1) | |
| 1 year | 475 (13.6) | 238 (14.2) | 98 (15.7) | 92 (11.5) | 47 (11.5) | 0.003 |
| 2–4 years | 1230 (35.1) | 548 (32.8) | 203 (32.6) | 310 (38.9) | 169 (41.4) | |
| 5–9 years | 897 (25.6) | 412 (24.6) | 170 (27.3) | 199 (25.0) | 116 (28.4) | |
| 10–14 years | 324 (9.3) | 167 (10.0) | 61 (9.8) | 65 (8.2) | 31 (7.6) | |
| 15–18 years | 193 (5.5) | 106 (6.3) | 29 (4.6) | 40 (5.0) | 18 (4.4) | |
| >18 years | 46 (1.3) | 25 (1.5) | 6 (0.96) | 13 (1.6) | 2 (0.5) | |
| Comorbid Conditions | ||||||
| Cardiac | 69 (2.0) | 43 (2.6) | 14 (2.3) | 12 (1.5) | 0 (0.0) | 0.006 |
| Malignancy | 81 (2.3) | 31 (1.9) | 18 (2.9) | 21 (2.6) | 11 (2.7) | 0.375 |
| Neurological | 138 (3.9) | 73 (4.4) | 20 (3.2) | 34 (4.3) | 11 (2.7) | 0.313 |
| Any Other Condition | 202 (5.8) | 96 (5.7) | 40 (6.4) | 47 (5.9) | 19 (4.7) | 0.696 |
| Payer | ||||||
| Government | 1240 (35.6) | 630 (37.8) | 224 (36.0) | 259 (32.7) | 127 (31.3) | <0.001 |
| Private | 1383 (39.7) | 607 (36.4) | 283 (45.4) | 310 (39.2) | 183 (45.07) | |
| Other | 864 (24.8) | 430 (25.8) | 116 (18.6) | 222 (28.1) | 96 (23.65) | |
| Race | ||||||
| Non-Hispanic White | 1746 (51.9) | 838 (51.6) | 358 (59.7) | 361 (47.8) | 189 (48.7) | <0.001 |
| Non-Hispanic Black | 601 (17.9) | 318 (19.6) | 90 (15.0) | 128 (17.0) | 65 (16.8) | |
| Hispanic | 588 (17.5) | 280 (17.3) | 73 (12.2) | 155 (20.5) | 80 (20.6) | |
| Asian | 117 (3.5) | 47 (2.9) | 20 (3.3) | 37 (4.9) | 13 (3.4) | |
| Other | 314 (9.3) | 140 (8.6) | 59 (9.8) | 74 (9.8) | 41 (10.6) | |
| Male Sex | 1912 (54.6) | 923 (55.2) | 336 (53.9) | 439 (55.1) | 214 (52.5) | 0.755 |
| Radiology | ||||||
| CT, no US | 1200 (34.3) | 600 (35.9) | 184 (29.5) | 280 (35.1) | 136 (33.3) | <0.001 |
| CT and US | 221 (6.3) | 84 (5.0) | 53 (8.5) | 61 (7.7) | 23 (5.6) | |
| US, no CT | 799 (22.8) | 324 (19.4) | 178 (28.6) | 200 (25.1) | 97 (23.8) | |
| No US, no CT | 1280 (36.6) | 664 (39.7) | 208 (33.4) | 256 (32.1) | 152 (37.3) | |
| Empiric Antibiotic Regimen | ||||||
| Cephalosporins alone | 448 (12.8) | 181 (10.83) | 126 (20.2) | 73 (9.2) | 68 (16.7) | <0.001 |
| Cephalosporin and clindamycin | 797 (22.8) | 359 (21.5) | 145 (23.3) | 184 (23.1) | 109 (26.7) | |
| Other antibiotic combination | 167 (4.8) | 82 (4.9) | 30 (4.8) | 38 (4.8) | 17 (4.2) | |
| Cephalosporin and vancomyin | 2088 (59.7) | 1050 (62.8) | 322 (51.7) | 502 (63.0) | 214 (52.5) | |
| Mechanical ventilation | 494 (14.1) | 251 (15.0) | 75 (12.0) | 114 (14.3) | 54 (13.2) | 0.307 |
| Corticosteroids | 520 (14.9) | 291 (17.4) | 72 (11.6) | 114 (14.3) | 43 (10.5) | <0.001 |
| Blood product transfusionsb | 761 (21.7) | 387 (23.2) | 145 (23.3) | 161 (20.2) | 68 (16.7) | 0.018 |
| Vasoactive infusionsc | 381 (10.9) | 223 (13.3) | 63 (10.1) | 72 (9.0) | 23 (5.6) | <0.001 |
| Admission to intensive care | 1397 (39.9) | 731 (43.7) | 234 (37.6) | 296 (37.1) | 136 (33.3) | <0.001 |
| Extracorporeal membranous oxygenation | 18 (0.5) | 13 (0.8) | 2 (0.3) | 3 (0.4) | 0 (0.0) | 0.163 |
| Hemolytic-uremic syndrome | 31 (0.9) | 15 (0.9) | 6 (1.0) | 7 (0.9) | 3 (0.7) | 0.985 |
| Influenza | 108 (3.1) | 53 (3.2) | 27 (4.3) | 23 (2.9) | 5 (1.2) | 0.044 |
| Arterial blood gas measurements | 0 (0,1) | 0 (0, 2) | 0 (0,1) | 0 (0, 1) | 0 (0, 1) | <0.001 |
| Days to first procedure | 1 (0, 3) | 1 (0, 2) | 1 (1, 3) | 1 (1, 3) | 1 (1, 3) | <0.001 |
Abbreviations: CT, computed tomography; US, ultrasound
a
Values listed as number (percent) or median (interquartile range)
b
Blood product transfusions included administration of packed red blood cells, cryoprecipitate, fresh frozen plasma, or platelets.
c
Vasoactive infusions included dobutamine, dopamine, epinephrine, norepinephrine, vasopressin, and milrinone.