Prognosis and prevention of postoperative empyema after radical operations on the lungs

A system of individual prediction of postoperative pyothorax was elaborated from analysis of the case records of 347 patients with carcinoma and chronic pyogenic diseases of the lungs. The authors identified 10 groups of risk factors which may aggravate the course of the postoperative period. Prognostic coefficients were determined for each one of them and their role in the development of pyothorax was specified. The complex of preventive measures in patients at a high risk of postoperative pyothorax was reinforced by intraoperative treatment of the pleura by ultrasonics, which improved the results of surgical treatment of patients with pulmonary diseases.