Table 4 Management outcomes
|  | Chest tube (n = 5) | Therapeutic thoracentesis (n = 5) |
|---|---|---|
Mean hospital length of stay in days (mean, SD) | 13.0 (6.0) | 5.4 (5.1) |
Diagnosis to discharge in days (mean, SD) | 10.4 (4.8) | 5.0 (5.0) |
Readmission within 90Â days | 0 | 1 |
Number of outpatient clinic appointments | 3 | 6 |
Mean intravenous antibiotic use in days (mean, SD) | 9.8 (4.3) | 4.6 (4.3) |
Total number of pleural procedures | 6 (1.2) | 7 (1.4) |
Total number of TTs performed (per patient) | 0 (0) | 6 (1.2) |
Total number of chest tubes performed (average) | 6 (1.2) | 1 (0.2) |
Duration of chest tube in-situ in days (mean, SD) | 6.8 (3.9) | N/A |
Courses of fibrinolytics | 3 | 1 |
Saline irrigation performed | 0 | 0 |
Referral for thoracic surgery | 0 | 0 |
Mean quantity of pleural fluid drained in mls (SD) | 1366 (1369) | 1034 (994) |
Adverse events | 1 | 1 |
Serious adverse events | 0 | 1 |