Clinical importance of surgical emphysema post-local anesthetic thoracoscopy: A multi-center review of practice

Local anaesthetic thoracoscopy is a crucial intervention in the diagnosis and management of an unexplained exudative pleural effusion and increasingly performed as a day case procedure. Indwelling pleural catheters or large bore drains are usually inserted at the end of the procedure. Surgical emphysema post-local anesthetic thoracoscopy is common and benign in the absence of visceral air leaks. Concurrent surgical drains at the time of day case thoracoscopy with indwelling pleural catheter are not required.