A clinical obserbation was made on 31 cases of empyema in childhood, under age of 15 years, seen a Kyungpook University Hospital between 1965, and 1974.
1) Twenty-nine per cent was under 2 years of age.
2) Twenty-two patients were boys(71.0% and 9 w...
A clinical obserbation was made on 31 cases of empyema in childhood, under age of 15 years, seen a Kyungpook University Hospital between 1965, and 1974.
1) Twenty-nine per cent was under 2 years of age.
2) Twenty-two patients were boys(71.0% and 9 were geirls giving a proprtion of male and female, 2.4: 1.
3) Duration of illness from the date of onset of empyema prior to admission were varied from a week to 12 weeks, of which 41 per cent was in less than 1 week.
4) Of eighteen cases(58.1%) confirmed its etiologic organism, staphylococcal empyema was 66.7 per cent, and poeumococcal empyema was 22.2 per cent.
5) Of nine cases(29.0%) of empyema eombined with pneumothorax, five cases(55.6%) were of staphylococcus aureus, and of 12 cases of staphyloccal empyema, five cases(41.7%) were combined with pneumothorax.
6) In the result of treatment of these series, fifteen cases(48.4%) were treated with repeated thoracentesis, nine cases(29.0%) with closed thoracotomy, three cases(9.7%) with open drainage and 2 cases(6.5%) with surgical decortication.
7) Mortality rate was 3.2 per cent.