Table 2.
Specificities, sensitivities and diagnostic efficiencies of some traditional Light’s criteria parameters and KEB values in selected groups of patients.
| Parameters | Transudates | Exudates |
Complicated exudates |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Purulent pneumonia | Chest empyema | |||
| Glucose ⩾3.4 mmol/L |
Specificity (%) | 64.9 | ND | ND |
| Sensitivity (%) | 100.0 | ND | ND | |
| Dg. efficiency (%) | 80.6 | ND | ND | |
| Lactate ⩽5.0 mmol/L |
Specificity (%) | 82.3 | ND | ND |
| Sensitivity (%) | 91.5 | ND | ND | |
| Dg. efficiency (%) | 86.8 | ND | ND | |
| LDH ⩽1000.0 IU/L |
Specificity (%) | 71.2 | ND | ND |
| Sensitivity (%) | 98.3 | ND | ND | |
| Dg. efficiency (%) | 83.7 | ND | ND | |
| Total protein ⩽30.0 g/L |
Specificity (%) | 64.9 | ND | ND |
| Sensitivity (%) | 72.9 | ND | ND | |
| Dg. efficiency (%) | 68.8 | ND | ND | |
| Glucose <3.4 mmol/L |
Specificity (%) | ND | 45.1 | 65.6 |
| Sensitivity (%) | ND | 82.3 | 89.8 | |
| Dg. efficiency (%) | ND | 60.9 | 76.8 | |
| Lactate >5.0 mmol/L |
Specificity (%) | ND | 27.5 | 39.5 |
| Sensitivity (%) | ND | 91.7 | 94.0 | |
| Dg. efficiency (%) | ND | 50.2 | 60.9 | |
| LDH >1000.0 IU/L |
Specificity (%) | ND | 35.6 | 51.4 |
| Sensitivity (%) | ND | 65.6 | 84.5 | |
| Dg. efficiency (%) | ND | 48.4 | 65.9 | |
| Total protein >30.0 mg/L |
Specificity (%) | ND | 40.6 | 44.3 |
| Sensitivity (%) | ND | 70.8 | 68.0 | |
| Dg. efficiency (%) | ND | 53.6 | 54.9 | |
| KEB >20.0 | Specificity (%) | 83.2 | ND | ND |
| Sensitivity (%) | 96.6 | ND | ND | |
| Dg. efficiency (%) | 89.6 | ND | ND | |
| KEB <0.0 | Specificity (%) | ND | 43.2 | ND |
| Sensitivity (%) | ND | 80.2 | ND | |
| Dg. efficiency (%) | ND | 58.9 | ND | |
| KEB <−100.0 | Specificity (%) | ND | ND | 80.7 |
| Sensitivity (%) | ND | ND | 79.5 | |
| Dg. efficiency (%) | ND | ND | 80.1 | |
Diagnostic efficiency = .
Dg., diagnostic; KEB, coefficient of energy balance; LDH, concentrations of lactate dehydrogenase catalytic activities in pleural effusions; ND, not done