Uniportal VATS Versus Chest Tube for Early Empyema

Uniportal Video Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery (VATS) Debridement Versus Chest Tube Drainage in Early Stage Empyema

Status

Completed

Phases

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT06325904

Enrollment

Registered

2024-03-22

Start date

2021-03-01

Completion date

2023-12-01

Last updated

2024-03-25

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Empyema, Pleural

Keywords

Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery, Pleura, Empyema

Brief summary

This randomized controlled study compared uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (U-VATS) versus chest tube drainage for initial (first-line) treatment of stage I (exudative) and stage II (fibrinopurulent) empyema in adult patients (\>18 years old). The primary end-point of outcome was the overall success of treatment (no need for re-intervention or death). The main results demonstrated the safety of minimally invasive U-VATS procedure in the initial treatment of early stages of pleural empyema in comparison to traditional chest tube drainage. Initial use of U-VATS was safe and feasible due to postoperative freedom from complex or marked effusion, in addition to significant reduction in the need for additional intervention, postoperative complications, length of hospital stay, and total cost.

Interventions

PROCEDUREUniportal VATS

* single port video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery in the 5th intercostal space * performed under general anesthesia. * pleural fluid/pus was drained * pleural adhesions was removed

PROCEDURETube thoracostomy

* Chest tube is inserted in 5th mid-axillary line * performed under local anaesthesia

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

18 Years to No maximum

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

* Patients diagnosed to have empyema and indicated for surgery. * Age above 18 years old

Exclusion criteria

* Inability to tolerate single lung ventilation. * Contraindication for general anesthesia/ medically unfit

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Need for further management	6 months after inital treatment	Need for further method for pleural fluid drainage or decortication.
Mortality	6 months after inital treatment	Postoperative in-hospital or follow-up death.

Countries

Egypt

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026