Indwelling pleural catheter for outpatient management of tuberculous empyema

The use of indwelling pleural catheters (IPC) is well established in the treatment of malignant pleural effusions. They allow symptom management with intermittent drainage without requiring overnight admission to hospital. However, little is known about their effectiveness in the treatment of pleural infections. Here, we present a case where an IPC is used in the therapeutic management of tuberculous empyema. The IPC enabled outpatient treatment, allowed the patient to return to work and reduced the cost of treatment and the risk of hospital-acquired complications.

Treatment of feline pyothorax: A report of two spontaneous cases

Two cases of feline pyothorax, presented in severe respiratory distress, were treated successfully by applying intermittent drainage and daily lavage of the pleural space with warm normal saline. Before that an indwelling thoracostomy tube had been fixed on the thoracic wall and left in place from 5 to 10 days. The only complication noticed was a symptomatic pneumothorax due to either tube malpositioning or damage to the tube wall. In both instances, the inspiratory dyspnea decreased or disappeared as soon as the tube was removed. Systemic and long term (6-9 weeks) treatment with antibiotics, combined with supportive measures and good nursing care, had a positive effect to the successful outcome in both cases.

Tectonic and climatic controls on the Chuquibamba landslide (western Andes, southern Peru)

The contribution of landslides to the Quaternary evolution of relief is poorly documented in arid contexts. In southern Peru and northern Chile, several massive landslides disrupt the arid western Andean front. The Chuquibamba landslide, located in southern Peru, belongs to this set of large landslides. In this area, the Incapuquio fault system captures the intermittent drainage network and localizes rotational landslides. Seismic activity is significant in this region with recurrent Mw 9 subduction earthquakes; however, none of the latest seismic events have triggered a major landslide. New terrestrial cosmogenic dating of the Chuquibamba landslide provides evidence that the last major gravitational mobilization of these rotational landslide deposits occurred at ~ 102 ka, during the Ouki wet climatic event identified on the Altiplano between 120 and 98 ka. Our results suggest that wet events in the arid and fractured context of the Andean forearc induced these giant debris flows. Finally, our study highlights the role of tectonics and climate on (i) the localization of large Andean landslides in the Western Cordillera and on (ii) the long-term mass transfer to the trench along the arid Andean front.