Living with Pleural Effusion


Living with pleural effusions is difficult because of the respiratory symptoms associated with the condition. If the effusion is treatable, the drainage of fluids can help the patient get completely healthy. On the other hand, if a person has malignant pleural effusion, the drainage may have to be recurrent or more intensive treatment methods may have to be employed. The pleurx catheter makes it easier for patients to get long term care and management for the condition. Very long term care is usually not possible in such cases and the morbidity rates are high. It is best, therefore, to get in touch with support groups who can help you through the toughest times. You may also have to keep visiting the doctor to get follow up care for your condition. Some people may need lifelong follow ups to ensure that recurrences do not occur.

Frequently asked questions
References
  1. R.W. Light, Y.C.G. Lee, PLEURAL EFFUSIONS | Overview, In:   Geoffrey J. Laurent and Steven D. Shapiro, Editor(s)-in-Chief, Encyclopedia of Respiratory Medicine, Academic Press, Oxford, 2006, Pages 353-358, ISBN 9780123708793, 10.1016/B0-12-370879-6/00299-4.
  2. Jeffrey S. Pollak, Catherine M. Burdge, Melvin Rosenblatt, Jeffrey P. Houston, Wen-Jen Hwu, John Murren, Treatment of Malignant Pleural Effusions with Tunneled Long-term Drainage Catheters, Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology, Volume 12, Issue 2, February 2001, Pages 201-208, ISSN 1051-0443, 10.1016/S1051-0443(07)61826-0.