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Introduction: Intrapleural fibrinolytic enzyme therapy is a potentially surgery-sparing treatment for poorly resolving parapneumonic effusion and empyema. It is safe in the majority of patients, however the most significant risk associated with this treatment is severe bleeding secondary to pleural hemorrhage. Contraindications for intrapleural enzyme therapy are not widely agreed upon and little is known about how to treat this difficult and potentially lethal hemorrhagic complication.Case Presentation: An independent 82-year-old Caucasian man presented to hospital with an empyema complicating community-acquired pneumonia and coincidental pulmonary embolus. He was initially commenced on intravenous antibiotics, pleural drainage and anticoagulation, however failed to improve significantly and was commenced on intrapleural fibrinolytic enzyme therapy. Shortly after, he suffered severe pleural hemorrhage that was uncontrollable despite emergency thoracotomy and washout. Subsequent hemostasis was achieved after re-exploration and application of topical fibrin-thrombin sealant spray. The patient survived and was discharged home.Conclusions: Intrapleural enzyme therapy can be effective in loculated parapneumonic effusion and empyema, but massive pleural hemorrhage can complicate its use. Pleural hemorrhage appears to be associated with anticoagulation or coagulopathy, and can be difficult to manage. This case adds to the body of data on bleeding complications following intrapleural enzyme therapy, and to the best of our knowledge is the first report of fibrin-thrombin sealant use in this setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Empyema thoracis in children causes significant morbidity. Standard treatment of Empyema thoracis includes tube drainage and antibiotics. But the tube drainage often fails. Intrapleural Streptokinase has been used in empyema thoracis with good success rate. Objectives: We evaluated the efficacy of intra-pleural Streptokinase in management of empyema thoracis even in advanced stages. Patients and Methods: A total of 28 patients with empyema thoracis requiring intercostal tube drainage aged zero to twelve years were included in the study who were admitted in Pediatric intensive care unit. 15,000 units/kg of Streptokinase was instilled into the pleural cavity. Response was assessed by clinical outcome, after unclamping and subsequent chest radiography and serial chest ultrasounds. Results: Streptokinase enhanced drainage in all patients with complete resolution of empyema thoracis in 26 patients. Two patients were referred for surgery. Only 7.2% required surgery. Streptokinase was equally effective if started before or after seven days. Conclusions: Intrapleural Streptokinase is the preferred treatment for treating pediatric empyema thoracis even in advanced stages and can avoid surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The administration of intrapleural streptokinase (IPSK) is widely practiced in the management of loculated empyema thoracis. To our knowledge, there have been only 4 cases of hemorrhagic complications attributed to the administration of IPSK reported in the literature. In this article, we report a case of a 17-year-old girl who received IPSK and developed shock, anemia, coagulopathy and massive hemothorax. Our discussion focuses on the hemorrhagic complication of chest tube insertion and the role of IPSK in blood clot lysis and inhibition of local hemostasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]