Pleural Tap: Purpose, Procedure, Indications and Contraindiations

Pleural tap or thoracocentesis is an invasive procedure used to remove the abnormally accumulated fluid in the pleural space around the lungs (pleural effusion).

Purpose

Pleural tap or thoracocentesis is done for diagnostic purpose as well as for therapeutic purpose.

Indications 

Indications of pleural tap are the conditions where unexplained fluid gets accumulated in the pleural space. Pleural effusion may happen to occur in many conditions such as cancer, CCF, CRF, pneumonia and tuberculosis.

Procedure

While performing pleural tap, a needle is passed into the thorax that reaches the pleural space and gives way to the accumulated fluid to come out. The needle is inserted in to the area of maximum dullness through the space between the ribs.

Pleural Tap

Benefits

Pleural tap offers two benefits; the first, the removed fluid eases and facilitates the patient’s breathing as the removal of the fluid provides the lost surface area for more gaseous exchange, and the second, we can send the fluid for laboratory investigation to know what it contains in it.

Contraindications

Contraindications of pleural tap include coagulation disorders and the uncooperative patient. However, relative contraindications are also there such as bullous disease, single functioning lung and PEEP.

Complications

Complications of pleural tap may include hemorrhage, pneumothorax and hemothorax, hypotension, infections, surgical emphysema. More importantly, some times some patients develop vasovagal hypotension. In order to avoid hypotension, injection haemaccel is advised to be at hand while doing pleural tap.

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Keywords: Pleural tap, Thoracocentesis, Indications, Procedure, Contraindications, Complications