Short Term Outcome of Plasma Pleurodesis in Post Pulmonary Resections Persistent Air Leak

Abstract

Background: Air leak is the most common morbidity after pulmonary resection surgery. It may result in prolonged duration with chest tubes with their annoying chest pain, prolonged hospital stay time with increased financial costs, pneumonia, empyema, and patient dissatisfaction. Our objective was to evaluate the efficacy of plasma pleurodesis for stoppage of air leak after lung resection, in comparison to conservative measures.
 Methods: This prospective single-blinded randomized study included 60 patients randomly divided into two groups:
 Group A: included 30 patients who received intrapleural fresh frozen plasma. One bag of FFP, contains 250 ml of plasma, matched for the ABO group was installed through the apical chest tube into the pleural cavity.
 Group B: a control group of 30 patients who did not receive any sclerosing agent. They were managed with under-water seal and observation.
 Results: This study showed that the stoppage of air leak in group A was faster “which stopped in 9-10 days” in comparison to control group B “24-25 days”, (P-value <0.001). There was a significant difference between groups A and B regarding the hospital stay, which was in 9-10 days in group A in comparison to group B “26-28 days (P-value <0.001).
 Conclusion: Intrapleural fresh frozen plasma appears to be a valuable option to stop persistent air leaks post pulmonary resections. It’s a cheap, available, and safe agent. It reduced hospital stay, costs and morbidities.