Combined TPA/DNase Benefits Pleural Infection Patients

These results show that combined intrapleural TPA and DNase therapy improves the drainage of pleural fluid in patients with pleural infection and may improve the natural history of infection, including reduced hospital stays and the need for thoracic surgery.

"This combined treatment may therefore be useful in patients in whom standard medical management has failed and thoracic surgery is not a treatment option," the researchers say. "However, appropriate trials are needed to accurately define the treatment effects. If confirmed in further studies, our results will inform the choice of intrapleural adjuvant therapy for pleural infection and improve the management of this disorder," according to the researchers.

The study was funded by an unrestricted educational grant from Roche UK to the University of Oxford and by grants from the Oxford Biomedical Research Centre Programme, through the United Kingdom National Institute for Health Research) and the United Kingdom Medical Research Council. Dr. Chris W.H. Davies and Dr. John M. Wrightston disclosed receiving lecture fees from ResMed UK and Boehringer Ingelheim UK, respectively.