Vacuum-assisted closure (VAC) is gaining popularity in the management of many types of acute and chronic wounds. The use of VAC devices in thoracic surgery is limited, but it appears to be promising in complex cases of empyema thoraces. We report a case of empyema necessitans, in which VAC was used to achieve complete wound healing after open drainage which was communicating with the pleural sp...

Late-onset post-pneumonectomy empyema necessitatis can occur many years after the surgery and is a life-threatening condition. A 58-year-old male presented with empyema necessitatis 18 years after undergoing pneumonectomy. He was successfully treated with a modified two-stage Clagett procedure and ambulatory negative pressure as the bridge between the stages. The 72-month follow-up was uneventf...

Three cases of post-pneumonic empyema due to infection with Klebsiella pneuinoniae are reported. All were men considerably debilitated by complicating factors. The presence of persistent fistulae and of lung necrosis makes eradication of this infection very difficult and tedious, and in the management of these cases the objective is to secure adequate removal of necrotic tissue, effective drain...

Case presentation: F.L.A.R., 12 years-old, male, reporting severe frontal headache with fever and emesis for 7 days, edema in the cephalic periorbital region, diagnosed as sinusitis prescribed amoxicillin+clavulanate (A/C). Due to persistence of symptoms on third day, he was admitted hospital. On physical examination, center his forehead had a soft, tender, warm, swollen area that caused an obv...