Prevalence, Causes and Clinical Implications of Pleural Effusion in Pulmonary ICU and Correlation with Patient Outcomes

Abstract

Pleural effusion is common in critically ill patients, most effusions in intensive care unit (ICU) patients are of limited clinical significance; however, some are important and require aggressive management (David et al., 2011). Pleural effusion in medical ICU (MICU) patients usually caused by pulmonary or extrapulmonary disorders, rather than by primary pleural diseases (Fartoukh et al., 2002). Detection of small pleural effusion is problematic in critically ill patients admitted to ICU (Wiener et at., 1991). Chest ultrasonography is a portable, low-cost, radiation-free method, showed consistently high sensitivity, specificity and accuracy in detecting fluid in the pleural space, in different populations and clinical settings (Alexandre et al., 2010). Aim of the work: The current study aimed to determine the prevalenc