Open AccessInvestigation of Pleural Effusions
Author(s) -
L Idris,
N Ranaweera,
D. Laws
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
acute medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.14
H-Index - 12
eISSN - 1747-4892
pISSN - 1747-4884
DOI - 10.52964/amja.0517
Subject(s) - medicine , pleural effusion , parietal pleura , oncotic pressure , effusion , hydrostatic pressure , lung , pathology , intensive care medicine , radiology , surgery , albumin , physics , thermodynamics
Pleural effusion is a common medical condition which often presents on the AMU. There are more than 50 recognised causes of pleural effusion which include diseases local to the pleura or underlying lung, systemic conditions, organ dysfunction and drugs.1 The normal pleural space contains approximately 1mL of fluid. The balance between hydrostatic and oncotic pressures in the visceral and parietal pleural vessels maintains this environment; any disorder affecting this balance will result in a pleural effusion.