Procedures Performed During Hospitalizations for Malignant Pleural Effusions: Data from the 2012 National Inpatient Sample

Background: Malignant pleural effusions (MPE) are a common clinical problem. Little is known about the burden of MPE and of the treatments used to alleviate its symptoms on the United States Health Care System.

Objectives: We aimed to obtain a better portrait of inpatient pleural procedures performed in the United States.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of MPE-associated hospitalizations using the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project-Nationwide Inpatient Sample, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (HCUP-NIS 2012). Descriptive statistics were used to analyze procedures performed and their complications. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were used to explore the relationship between procedures performed and inpatient mortality and length of stay.

Results: Among the 126,825 hospital admissions with a diagnosis of MPE, 72,240 included one or more pleural procedures. Thoracentesis (54,070) was the most frequently performed procedure followed by chest tube placement (23,035), chemical pleurodesis (10,240), and thoracoscopy (6,615). Hospitalization for lung and breast cancer was more likely to include pleural procedures compared to hospitalization for other types of cancer (59.2 and 65.6%, respectively, p < 0.0001). Chemical pleurodesis through a chest tube compared to thoracoscopic chemical pleurodesis was performed more frequently (57 vs. 43%, p < 0.001) and associated with a longer hospital stay (4.9 vs. 5.9 days, p < 0.001).

Conclusions: Hospital admissions for MPE represent a large burden on the US Health Care System. Many hospitalizations are associated with procedures not expected to reduce the recurrence rate of this condition.