2: What is a ‘pleurodesis’?
Fluid in the chest (a ‘pleural effusion’ described in Section 1) can cause breathing difficulties. The hospital team can drain the fluid from the chest to help a person breathe more easily. Draining this fluid away is very good at helping to relieve breathing difficulties. However, after the drainage has been done there is a strong chance the fluid could build up again and that person could be back to square one with breathing difficulties.
Pleurodesis is something that can be done to try and stop the fluid building up again after it has been drained away. It involves using a glue to stick the lung to the inside of the rib cage. This stops fluid filling in the space between the lung and the rib cage
What is a ‘pleurodesis’?
The ‘glue’ is a white powder called ‘talc’. This white powder can be mixed with water to make a paste. The paste can then be injected into the chest through the drain used to remove the fluid. There are different ways of giving the talc and these are explained in later chapters.