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A member asked:
Is an ongoing pleural effusion in an elderly nonambulant person a potential "breeding ground" for an infection? if so, is the risk insignificant?
2 doctors weighed in across 2 answers
Yes, more with time: Pleural effusions may be infected or not. But with time, the risk of infection increases
Answered 4/2/2016
1.4k views
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In general, no: A pleural effusion can be what is called an empyema which is actually from an infection and is therefore infected. If the effusion is passive, like heart failure it usually does not become infected though potentialicould get infected. In the second case it is not common.
Answered 4/2/2016
1.4k views
Thank
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