The activity of endogenous colony-stimulating factor (CSF) in malignant pleural effusions of lung cancer patients before and during daily intrapleural infusions of recombinant interleukin-2 (IL-2) was measured quantitatively by colony-forming bioassay and radioimmunoassay (RIA). Before therapy, malignant pleural effusions had various levels of CSF activities, and this CSF activity was neutraliz...

In 1882, Forlanini12 of Milan proposed the induction of artificial pneumothorax in patients suffering from pulmonary tuberculosis, and in 1894’s he published his experience with the first patients to be submitted to this form of therapy. In 1885 Cayley had reported the case of a tuberculous patient in whom he had induced pneuniothorax by open incision of the chest wall to control hemoptysis, an...

OBJECTIVE Pleural effusions are a frequent complication of malignancy and cause considerable morbidity from dyspnea. The drainage and control of malignant effusions relieve symptoms and maintain quality of life but these are difficult in patients with multiloculated effusions in whom drainage usually fails. This observational series reports the use of intrapleural streptokinase (IPSK) in the ma...

To assess the effects of i.v. injection of morphine, 0.5 mg/kg, hemodynamic studies were performed on 24 critically ill patients under controlled ventilation. An esophageal balloon was used to estimate intrapleural pressure and transmural cardiac filling pressures were calculated. After injection of morphine, there were significant decreases in heart rate (13%), cardiac index (18%), stroke inde...

BACKGROUND Small pneumothoraxes (PTXs) may not impart an immediate threat to trauma patients after chest injuries. However, the amount of pleural air may increase and become a concern for patients who require positive pressure ventilation or air ambulance transport. Lung ultrasonography (US) is a reliable tool in finding intrapleural air, but the performance characteristics regarding the detect...