Clinical features, patterns of care and outcome of children with empyema: A retrospective review at a Regional Tropical Hospital

Pneumonia, an infection of the lung, is a common reason for admission to hospital, and worldwide is still the leading cause of mortality in children under 5 years. Relatively rarely, a complication of this is infected fluid surrounding the lung, termed an empyema. Empyemas are very rare in metropolitan areas, but anecdotally are more common in rural and remote regions. This is currently unreported. This audit will help us to find out exactly how many children are at risk, and which mode of management appears to confer the shortest hospital stay and with minimal complications.