PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - E D Mangete AU - B B Kombo AU - T E Legg-Jack TI - Thoracic empyema: a study of 56 patients. AID - 10.1136/adc.69.5.587 DP - 1993 Nov 01 TA - Archives of Disease in Childhood PG - 587--588 VI - 69 IP - 5 4099 - http://adc.bmj.com/content/69/5/587.short 4100 - http://adc.bmj.com/content/69/5/587.full SO - Arch Dis Child1993 Nov 01; 69 AB - Fifty seven children with thoracic empyema (37 boys and 20 girls) aged less than 12 years were seen at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital between January 1989 and December 1991. Staphylococcus aureus was the most common organism isolated from the pus of these patients (36 (63%) patients). Pseudomonas aeruginosa, the next most common organism, was isolated in 10 (18%) patients. The most common symptoms at presentation were acute illness with fever and cough (51 (89%) patients). All the patients were treated with closed intercostal tube drainage and appropriate antibiotics. Decortication was resorted to in only one patient. There were two deaths and the overall survival rate was 97%.