Indwelling pleural catheters or chest drains for managing malignant pleural effusions: a distinction without a difference?

Extract

In patients with symptomatic malignant pleural effusion (MPE), definitive effusion management is traditionally achieved by either indwelling pleural catheter (IPC) placement or by attempting chemical pleurodesis (instilling graded talc slurry through a chest drain or insufflating talc during a thoracoscopy) [1]. The goal of these interventions has been symptom palliation (usually dyspnoea and, less commonly, chest pain), and both IPCs and talc pleurodesis have been shown to be comparably effective in achieving this purpose (as assessed by patient-reported visual analogue scale) [2]. However, both have their pros and cons.