Pleural effusion natural history

Compications

 * Only symptomatic pleural effusions or effusions larger than 50% of hemithorax require thoracentesis or chest tube drainage.
 * Most resolve spontaneously.
 * Postcardiac injury syndrome (PCIS)
 * A general term for fever and pleuropericardial disease days or months after cardiac injury (myocardial infarction or surgery).
 * Typically present two to three weeks post op.
 * Chest pain
 * Pericardial rub
 * Fever
 * Leukocytosis
 * Elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR)
 * Variable combinations of pulmonary effusions and infiltrates.