The 2003 Guidelines for the management of pleural disease are currently being updated.  The draft Guidelines are now being finalised for publication in early 2010, following the recent consultation period.  Further information on the likely publication date will be made available here in due course.

The 2003 guidelines are available from the link below.

Guideline

Other Useful Links

 

Chest Drain Insertion

Following the 2008 NPSA Rapid Response Report concerning the risks of chest drain insertion, the British Thoracic Society has produced the following documentation:

Guidance for the implementation of local Trust policies for the safe insertion of chest drains for pleural effusions in adults can be found here.

BPRS/BTS guidance for the implementation of local Trust policies for the safe insertion of chest drains in children can be found here.

A copy of the NPSA Rapid Response Report (May 2008) on the insertion of chest drains can be found here. 

 

Chest drain insertion – improving patient safety, BTS Winter Meeting, December 2008
A symposium on chest drain insertion was held at the BTS Winter Meeting 3 December 2008.  The presentations given at this meeting can be downloaded from the links below.

Introduction: Dr Nick Maskell (Bristol)
Download here

Implementing recent NPSA guidance – a perspective from a district general hospital: Dr Diane Laws (Bournemouth)
Download here

Implementing recent NPSA guidance – a perspective from a large teaching hospital: Professor Robert Davies (Oxford)
Download here

Role of ward based pleural ultrasound: Dr Richard Teoh (Hull)
Download here

An overview of the chest drain and manikin market place: Dr Nick Maskell (Bristol)
Download here

 

MHRA statement on talc preparations for Pleurodesis
The October 2007 statement from the MHRA is available here.