Pleural effusion: Clinical (To be retired)
875,915views
00:00 / 00:00
Videos
Notes
Pleural effusion: Clinical (To be retired)
Medical and surgical emergencies
Cardiology, cardiac surgery and vascular surgery
Advanced cardiac life support (ACLS): Clinical (To be retired)
Supraventricular arrhythmias: Pathology review
Ventricular arrhythmias: Pathology review
Heart blocks: Pathology review
Coronary artery disease: Clinical (To be retired)
Heart failure: Clinical (To be retired)
Syncope: Clinical (To be retired)
Pericardial disease: Clinical (To be retired)
Valvular heart disease: Clinical (To be retired)
Chest trauma: Clinical (To be retired)
Shock: Clinical (To be retired)
Peripheral vascular disease: Clinical (To be retired)
Leg ulcers: Clinical (To be retired)
Aortic aneurysms and dissections: Clinical (To be retired)
Cholinomimetics: Direct agonists
Cholinomimetics: Indirect agonists (anticholinesterases)
Muscarinic antagonists
Sympathomimetics: Direct agonists
Sympatholytics: Alpha-2 agonists
Adrenergic antagonists: Presynaptic
Adrenergic antagonists: Alpha blockers
Adrenergic antagonists: Beta blockers
ACE inhibitors, ARBs and direct renin inhibitors
Loop diuretics
Thiazide and thiazide-like diuretics
Calcium channel blockers
cGMP mediated smooth muscle vasodilators
Class I antiarrhythmics: Sodium channel blockers
Class II antiarrhythmics: Beta blockers
Class III antiarrhythmics: Potassium channel blockers
Class IV antiarrhythmics: Calcium channel blockers and others
Positive inotropic medications
Antiplatelet medications
Dermatology and plastic surgery
Blistering skin disorders: Clinical (To be retired)
Bites and stings: Clinical (To be retired)
Burns: Clinical (To be retired)
Endocrinology and ENT (Otolaryngology)
Diabetes mellitus: Clinical (To be retired)
Hyperthyroidism: Clinical (To be retired)
Hypothyroidism and thyroiditis: Clinical (To be retired)
Parathyroid conditions and calcium imbalance: Clinical (To be retired)
Adrenal insufficiency: Clinical (To be retired)
Neck trauma: Clinical (To be retired)
Insulins
Mineralocorticoids and mineralocorticoid antagonists
Glucocorticoids
Gastroenterology and general surgery
Abdominal pain: Clinical (To be retired)
Appendicitis: Clinical (To be retired)
Gastrointestinal bleeding: Clinical (To be retired)
Peptic ulcers and stomach cancer: Clinical (To be retired)
Inflammatory bowel disease: Clinical (To be retired)
Diverticular disease: Clinical (To be retired)
Gallbladder disorders: Clinical (To be retired)
Pancreatitis: Clinical (To be retired)
Cirrhosis: Clinical (To be retired)
Hernias: Clinical (To be retired)
Bowel obstruction: Clinical (To be retired)
Abdominal trauma: Clinical (To be retired)
Laxatives and cathartics
Antidiarrheals
Acid reducing medications
Hematology and oncology
Blood products and transfusion: Clinical (To be retired)
Venous thromboembolism: Clinical (To be retired)
Anticoagulants: Heparin
Anticoagulants: Warfarin
Anticoagulants: Direct factor inhibitors
Antiplatelet medications
Thrombolytics
Infectious diseases
Fever of unknown origin: Clinical (To be retired)
Infective endocarditis: Clinical (To be retired)
Pneumonia: Clinical (To be retired)
Tuberculosis: Pathology review
Diarrhea: Clinical (To be retired)
Urinary tract infections: Clinical (To be retired)
Meningitis, encephalitis and brain abscesses: Clinical (To be retired)
Bites and stings: Clinical (To be retired)
Skin and soft tissue infections: Clinical (To be retired)
Protein synthesis inhibitors: Aminoglycosides
Antimetabolites: Sulfonamides and trimethoprim
Antituberculosis medications
Miscellaneous cell wall synthesis inhibitors
Protein synthesis inhibitors: Tetracyclines
Cell wall synthesis inhibitors: Penicillins
Miscellaneous protein synthesis inhibitors
Cell wall synthesis inhibitors: Cephalosporins
DNA synthesis inhibitors: Metronidazole
DNA synthesis inhibitors: Fluoroquinolones
Herpesvirus medications
Azoles
Echinocandins
Miscellaneous antifungal medications
Anthelmintic medications
Antimalarials
Anti-mite and louse medications
Nephrology and urology
Hypernatremia: Clinical (To be retired)
Hyponatremia: Clinical (To be retired)
Hyperkalemia: Clinical (To be retired)
Hypokalemia: Clinical (To be retired)
Metabolic and respiratory acidosis: Clinical (To be retired)
Metabolic and respiratory alkalosis: Clinical (To be retired)
Toxidromes: Clinical (To be retired)
Medication overdoses and toxicities: Pathology review
Environmental and chemical toxicities: Pathology review
Acute kidney injury: Clinical (To be retired)
Kidney stones: Clinical (To be retired)
Adrenergic antagonists: Alpha blockers
Neurology and neurosurgery
Stroke: Clinical (To be retired)
Seizures: Clinical (To be retired)
Headaches: Clinical (To be retired)
Traumatic brain injury: Clinical (To be retired)
Neck trauma: Clinical (To be retired)
Lower back pain: Clinical (To be retired)
Spinal cord disorders: Pathology review
Anticonvulsants and anxiolytics: Barbiturates
Anticonvulsants and anxiolytics: Benzodiazepines
Nonbenzodiazepine anticonvulsants
Migraine medications
Osmotic diuretics
Antiplatelet medications
Thrombolytics
Opioid agonists, mixed agonist-antagonists and partial agonists
Opioid antagonists
Pulmonology and thoracic surgery
Asthma: Clinical (To be retired)
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): Clinical (To be retired)
Venous thromboembolism: Clinical (To be retired)
Acute respiratory distress syndrome: Clinical (To be retired)
Pleural effusion: Clinical (To be retired)
Pneumothorax: Clinical (To be retired)
Chest trauma: Clinical (To be retired)
Bronchodilators: Beta 2-agonists and muscarinic antagonists
Pulmonary corticosteroids and mast cell inhibitors
Rheumatology and orthopedic surgery
Joint pain: Clinical (To be retired)
Anatomy clinical correlates: Clavicle and shoulder
Anatomy clinical correlates: Axilla
Anatomy clinical correlates: Arm, elbow and forearm
Anatomy clinical correlates: Wrist and hand
Anatomy clinical correlates: Median, ulnar and radial nerves
Anatomy clinical correlates: Bones, joints and muscles of the back
Anatomy clinical correlates: Hip, gluteal region and thigh
Anatomy clinical correlates: Knee
Anatomy clinical correlates: Leg and ankle
Anatomy clinical correlates: Foot
Acetaminophen (Paracetamol)
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
Glucocorticoids
Opioid agonists, mixed agonist-antagonists and partial agonists
Antigout medications
Assessments
Pleural effusion: Clinical (To be retired)
USMLE® Step 2 questions
0 / 8 complete
Questions
USMLE® Step 2 style questions USMLE
of complete
Memory Anchors and Partner Content
Transcript
Content Reviewers
Rishi Desai, MD, MPHContributors
Evan Debevec-McKenney
Our lungs are covered by two layers of pleura, the inner visceral pleura, and the outer parietal pleura.
Sandwiched between these layers is the pleural space, which normally contains about 10 milliliters of fluid and that provides a bit of lubrication, so that the lungs can smoothly expand within the chest cavity without encountering much friction.
Too much fluid in that space results in a pleural effusion, which can actually hinder lung expansion.
Now, pleural effusions can be broadly classified into transudative and exudative effusions.
Transudative effusions are often caused by systemic diseases, and result from either an increase in the intravascular hydrostatic pressure, such as in congestive heart failure, or as a result of a decrease in the intravascular oncotic pressure due to a decrease in serum albumin, like in liver cirrhosis, nephrotic syndrome, or malnutrition.
Exudative effusions, on the other hand, are usually due to local diseases that may cause inflammation, resulting in increased capillary permeability.
These include infections like pneumonia or tuberculosis, primary lung or metastatic malignancy, autoimmune diseases like systemic lupus erythematosus or rheumatoid arthritis, or pancreatitis.
One more specific type of effusion is a chylothorax, and it results from impaired lymphatic drainage of the pleura, which can happen after accidental damage during surgery, trauma, or cancer invasion.
Interestingly, pulmonary embolism can cause both transudative and exudative effusions.
Summary
Pleural effusion refers to the accumulation of fluid in the pleural cavity. This fluid can impede the lungs' movement and make it difficult to breathe. There are various kinds of pleural effusion, depending on the nature of the fluid and what caused its entry into the pleural space. Pleural effusion can be hydrothorax (serous fluid), hemothorax (blood), urinothorax (urine), chylothorax (chyle), or pyothorax (pus).
Transudative pleural effusion contains decreased protein content and is usually due to increased hydrostatic pressure. Exudative pleural effusion contains increased protein content and is commonly due to malignancy, pneumonia, collagen vascular disease, or trauma.
Diagnosis may require thoracentesis which can help alleviate symptoms, a chest X-ray, or a CT scan. Treatment depends on the underlying cause and may involve antibiotics for infection, chemotherapy if the cause was cancer, and managing the heart or renal failure if they are the underlying causes.
Copyright © 2023 Elsevier, except certain content provided by third parties
Cookies are used by this site.
USMLE® is a joint program of the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) and the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME). COMLEX-USA® is a registered trademark of The National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners, Inc. NCLEX-RN® is a registered trademark of the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, Inc. Test names and other trademarks are the property of the respective trademark holders. None of the trademark holders are endorsed by nor affiliated with Osmosis or this website.
