Pleural Effusion

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW:

The pleura (PLOOR-ah) are thin layers of tissue that form a two-layered lining around the lungs. One layer of the pleura rests directly on the lungs. The other layer rests on the chest wall. Between these layers, there is a small amount of fluid, called pleural (PLOO-ral) fluid. This fluid helps your lungs move easily while you breathe. Sometimes extra fluid collects in the space between the two pleural layers. This is called pleural effusion (e-FU-zhun). Many things may cause a pleural effusion, such as lung infections (in-FECK-shuns), heart failure, or cancer. The first step in treating pleural effusion is to treat the cause, if it is known. You may need to have the extra fluid removed. More treatments may be needed if your pleural effusion causes problems or keeps coming back.

AFTER YOU LEAVE:

Medicines:

• Keep a current list of your medicines: Include the amounts, and when, how, and why you take them. Take the list or the pill bottles to follow-up visits. Carry your medicine list with you in case of an emergency. Throw away old medicine lists. Use vitamins, herbs, or food supplements only as directed.
  
  
• Take your medicine as directed: Call your primary healthcare provider if you think your medicine is not working as expected. Tell him about any medicine allergies, and if you want to quit taking or change your medicine.
  
  
• You may need medicines to help you feel better faster, or to prevent your pleural effusion from getting worse. These medicines may include one or more of the following:
  
  
  • Antibiotics: This medicine is given to fight or prevent an infection caused by bacteria. Always take your antibiotics exactly as ordered by your primary healthcare provider. Do not stop taking your medicine unless directed by your primary healthcare provider. Never save antibiotics or take leftover antibiotics that were given to you for another illness.
    
    
  • Cough medicine: You may need a cough medicine to help loosen phlegm in your lungs and make it easier to cough up. This type of cough medicine is called an expectorant. Drink plenty of water if you are taking an expectorant type of cough medicine. Another type of cough medicine that decreases your urge to cough is called a cough suppressant. A cough suppressant may help if a dry cough is causing you to have pain or trouble resting.
    
    
  • Diuretics: This medicine is given to decrease edema (excess fluid) that collects in a part of your body, such as your legs. Diuretics can also remove excess fluid from around your heart or lungs and decrease your blood pressure. It is often called water pills. You may urinate more often when you take this medicine.
    
    
  • Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) medicine may decrease swelling and pain or fever. This medicine can be bought with or without a doctor's order. This medicine can cause stomach bleeding or kidney problems in certain people. If you take blood thinner medicine, always ask your primary healthcare provider if NSAIDs are safe for you. Always read the medicine label and follow the directions on it before using this medicine.
    
    
  • Pain medicine: You may need medicine to take away or decrease pain.
    
    
    • Learn how to take your medicine. Ask what medicine and how much you should take. Be sure you know how, when, and how often to take it.
      
      
    • Do not wait until the pain is severe before you take your medicine. Tell caregivers if your pain does not decrease.
      
      
    • Pain medicine can make you dizzy or sleepy. Prevent falls by calling someone when you get out of bed or if you need help.
    
    
  • Steroids: Steroids (STER-oids) may help decrease inflammation of the pleura, or help you breathe easier. Do not stop taking this medicine without your caregivers OK. Stopping on your own can cause problems.

Ask for information about where and when to go for follow-up visits:

For continuing care, treatments, or home services, ask for more information.

Home care:

Your caregiver may suggest some of the following treatments or lifestyle changes to help you get better:

• To decrease your pain: When coughing, hold a pillow over your chest where the pain is.
  
  
• Quit smoking. Do not smoke, and do not allow others to smoke around you. Smoking increases your risk of lung infections such as pneumonia (noo-MOH-nyah). Smoking also makes it harder for you to get better after having a lung problem. Talk to your caregiver if you need help quitting smoking.
  
  
• Eat a healthy diet. Good nutrition can help your body fight illness. Eat a variety of healthy foods every day. Your diet should include fruits, vegetables, breads, and protein (such as chicken, fish, and beans). Ask your caregiver for more information about a diet that is right for you.
  
  
• Drink enough liquids and get plenty of rest. Be sure to drink enough liquids every day. Most people should drink at least eight (8 ounce) cups of water a day. This helps to keep your air passages moist and better able to get rid of germs and other irritants. You may feel like resting more. Slowly start to do more each day. Rest when you feel it is needed.
  
  
• Exercise your lungs. The discomfort of pleural effusion may cause you to avoid breathing as deeply as you should. Coughing and deep breathing can help prevent a new or worsening lung infection. Take a deep breath and hold the breath as long as you can. Then push the air out of your lungs with a deep, strong cough. Take 10 deep breaths in a row every hour that you are awake. Remember to follow each deep breath with a cough.

For more information:

Contact the following for more information about pleural effusion and other lung problems:

• American Lung Association
  1301 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
  Washington , DC 20004
  Phone: 1- 202 - 785-3355
  Phone: 1- 800 - 548-8252
  Web Address: www.lung.org
  

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  1600 Clifton Road
  Atlanta , GA 30333
  Phone: 1- 404 - 6393311
  Phone: 1- 800 - 3113435
  Web Address: http://www.cdc.gov
  

CONTACT A CAREGIVER IF:

• You have a fever.
  
  
• Your breathing problems do not go away or they get worse.
  
  
• Your pain does not go away or gets worse.
  
  
• You begin to cough up yellow, green, gray, or blood colored mucus.
  
  
• Your skin is itchy, or you have a rash. Your medicines may be causing these symptoms. This may mean you are allergic (uh-LER-jik) to your medicine.
  
  
• You have any questions or concerns about your illness.

SEEK CARE IMMEDIATELY IF:

• You faint (pass out) or feel like fainting, or you have new problems with thinking clearly.
  
  
• Your lips or fingernails turn dusky or blue.
  
  
• You find it very hard to breathe.

Learn more about Pleural Effusion (Discharge Care)