A Clinical Study of 100 Cases of Empyema thoracis in Infancy and Childhood

유소아(幼小兒) 막흉(膜胸) 100례(例) 대(對)한 임상적(臨床的) 고찰(考察)

The author made clinical study of 100 cases of empyema in infancy and childhood that were treated at the Department of Chest Surgery, Busan University Hospital and Busan Children's Charity Hospital, from Jan 1962 to Nov. 1975. 1. In infancy and childhood, 62 cases out of my 100 cases of empyema were caused by .staphylococci and most of recent reports showed a gradual increase in number of staphylococcal empyema. 2. Most frequent lesion predisposing to empyema in infancy and childhood was pneumonia (72%), being remarkable in staphylococcal empyema (85.5%) to that of others. 3. Antibiotics sensitivity test for staphylococci revealed that the erythromycin was most susceptible (85. 5%). 4. The mortality rate was 6% in over all and the author believes that from the point of view of surgical treatment, failure of early continuous drainage on account of multiple thoracentesis for the early stage of empyema, and also early open thoracotomy procedure such as decortication were all the contributing factors to higher mortality in the empyema of infancy and childhood. 5. It may be concluded that the treatment of choice for empyema in infancy and childhood were early and prolonged continuous drainage of pus by closed thoracotomy with caution and administration of more susceptible antibiotics with nutritional support.