Pleural effusion guidelines from ICS and NCCP Section 1: Basic principles, laboratory tests and pleural procedures.

Pleural effusion is a common problem in our country, and most of these patients need invasive tests as they can't be evaluated by blood tests alone. The simplest of them is diagnostic pleural aspiration, and diagnostic techniques such as medical thoracoscopy are being performed more frequently than ever before. However, most physicians in India treat pleural effusion empirically, leading to delays in diagnosis, misdiagnosis and complications from wrong treatments. This situation must change, and the adoption of evidence-based protocols is urgently needed. Furthermore, the spectrum of pleural disease in India is different from that in the West, and yet Western guidelines and algorithms are used by Indian physicians. Therefore, India-specific consensus guidelines are needed. To fulfil this need, the Indian Chest Society and the National College of Chest Physicians; the premier societies for pulmonary physicians came together to create this National guideline. This document aims to provide evidence based recommendations on basic principles, initial assessment, diagnostic modalities and management of pleural effusions.

An unusual cause of fungal pneumonia.

A 65 year old female, known asthmatic on steroids intermittently, with no other co-morbidity presented with fever, breathlessness and cough with mucoid expectoration of ten days duration with bilateral crepts, went for Type II respiratory failure and was intubated followed by tracheostomy in view of prolonged ventilator support. In spite of high end antibiotics as per sputum culture sensitivity, weaning off the ventilator was not possible. Blood investigations revealed leucocytosis with neutrophilic predominance and IgE levels were within normal limits. CT chest showed multiple patchy consolidations of the right upper, middle and lower lobes with ground glass appearance and enlarged mediastinal lymph nodes. Work up for retrovirus, tuberculosis and Sputum for KOH mount was negative. No evidence of sputum and blood eosinophilia. BAL sample grew Curvularia species. Fluconazole 150mg OD was added. Serial imaging of the chest showed resolution of the consolidation and was weaned off the ventilator and was comfortable on room air. Pneumonia caused by Curvularia, in an immune competent patient is very rare. Even in broncho pulmonary involvement these fungi usually occur in allergic conditions as in ABPA than appearing as a solitary cause for lung infection. But if diagnosed and treated early, will respond well to triazoles. This case report highlights a unilateral fungal pneumonia with dramatic clinical improvement post treatment once the rare causative organism was identified.