Pleuropulmonary Infection Blog

Drug Duo Appears to Combat Infections of Lung Linings

Posted 10 Aug 2011 by Drugs.com

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 10 – Combination therapy with two drugs offers an effective new way to treat people with a serious respiratory condition called pleural infection, English researchers say. Pleural infection refers to an accumulation of infected fluid in the space between the ribs and lungs. The condition, usually the result of lung infections such as pneumonia, can cause breathing problems as the infected fluid puts pressure on the lungs. Current standard treatment includes antibiotics and insertion of a tube into the chest to drain the fluid, but this approach fails in about one-third of cases. Surgery is another option, but may not be suitable for older or sicker patients. In a clinical trial involving 210 patients, researchers at the University of Oxford found that a combination of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) and DNase helped to drain infected fluid from the chest, reduce ... Read more

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