Pleural effusion, sometimes referred to as “water on the lungs,” is the build-up of excess fluid between the layers of the pleura outside the lungs. The pleura are thin membranes that line the lungs and the inside of the chest cavity and act to lubricate and facilitate breathing.

1. PLEURAL EFFUSION
PRESENTED BY
ABHAY RAJPOOT

2. DEFINITION
A pleural effusion is excess fluid that accumulates in the pleural cavity, the
fluid-filled space that surrounds the lungs.

3. INCIDENCE
Pleural effusion is a fairly common condition. It is estimated to occur in
as high as one million people in the United States each year. The most
common underlying cause is congestive heart failure. Other common
causes include lung infections, some cancers, and blood clots in the lung.

4. RISK FACTORS
 Heart failure
 Pneumonia
 Cancers, such as lung, breast, lymphoma, mesothelioma
 Liver disease
 Connective tissue diseases (rheumatic heart disease, arthritis)
 Pulmonary embolism
 Radiation therapy
 Tuberculosis
 Nephrotic syndrome
 Pregnancy

5. ETIOLOGY
 A viral infection, such as the flu (influenza)
 A bacterial infection, such as pneumonia
 A fungal infection
 Autoimmune disorder, such as rheumatoid arthritis
 Certain medications
 Lung cancer near the pleural surface

6. PATHOPHYSIOLOGY

7. PATHOPHYSIOLOGY

8. CLINICAL MANIFESTATIONS

9. CONTI…

10. DIAGNOSTIC EVALUATION
 History
 Physical examination
 Blood tests

11. CHEST X RAY

12. CT SCAN

13. USG

14. THORACOSCOPY

15. THORACENTESIS

17. Tube thoracostomy

18. Pleurodesis

19. Pleural decortication

20. NURSING DIAGNOSIS
 Ineffective breathing pattern related to decreased lung expansion as
evidenced by dyspnoea
 Impaired gas exchange related to capillary membrane changes as
evidenced by air hunger
 Activity intolerance related to hypoxemia as evidenced by gasping
 Imbalance nutrition less than body requirement related to less intake of
food as evidenced by weight loss
 Risk for potential complications related to pleural effusion

21. RESEARCH STUDY
A study was conducted by German Research Centre for Environmental
Health In their recent work, the team built on findings which they had
also published in Nature Communications in May 2017. “the results of
study reveal that inflammatory messengers of the immune system −
notably interleukin-1β − activate a signaling pathway in mutated cancer
cells, which in the long term can lead to pleural effusion"

22. SUMMARY

23. CONCLUSION
Pleural effusions are one of the symptoms of mesothelioma, an
aggressive but rare type of cancer. Mesothelioma can develop in
pleura, the lining of the lungs, which is known as pleural
mesothelioma and accounts for about 70% of all cases

24. ASSIGNMENT
Thoracentesis and its nursing care

25. BIBLIOGRAHY
 https://www.webmd.com/lung/pleural-effusion-symptoms-causes-treatments#1
 medicinenet.com/pleural_effusion_fluid_in_the_chest_or_on_lung/article.htm
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pleural_effusion
 https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/299959
 medlineplus.gov › Medical Encyclopedia

26. THANK YOU
.