Retrospective study of 56 pleural effusions in emergency intensive care unit

Objective:To determine the prevalence and causes of pleural effusion in patients admitted to EICU and assess the necessity and safety of routine thoracentesis.Method:The difference was analyzed between patients with pleural effusion and those without pleural effusion in length of ICU stay, cost and mortality. Result:56(17.1%) patients had pleural effusion in 328 patients. patients with pleural effusion had longer length of ICU stay, more cost than those without effusion (P0.05). Thoracentesis was performed in 34 patients. The thoracentesis-based (definite) diagnosis was different from the presumptive diagnosis in 10 patients (29.4%). Complications of thoracentesis included Pneumothoraces (n=2) and Pulmonary edema (n=1).Conclusion:Pleural effusion had some relation with longer length of ICU and higher cost. Routine thoracentesis was a simple and safe means of improving the diagnosis.