title: Pleural effusions in non-transplanted cystic fibrosis patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Pleural effusions are considered rare in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. There is a paucity of available information in the literature concerning the nature and significance of pleural effusions in non-transplanted CF patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a multicenter retrospective evaluation of non-transplanted adult CF patients. Given the small sample size, only descriptive statistics were performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 17 CF patients with pleural effusion were identified, of whom 9 patients underwent thoracentesis. The crude incidence of pleural effusion was 43 per 10,000 person-years in hospitalized CF patients at large CF centers. All sampled effusions were inflammatory in nature. All samples submitted for culture grew at least one organism.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Pleural effusions are rare in adult non-transplanted CF patients. These fluid collections appear to be quite inflammatory with a higher rate of empyema than in the general population.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of North Carolina, 8007 Burnett Womack Building, CB 7219, Chapel Hill, NC 27713, United States. Electronic address: Adam.Belanger@med.unc.edu.
authors.forename: Adam R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Belanger
authors.affiliation: Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of North Carolina, 8007 Burnett Womack Building, CB 7219, Chapel Hill, NC 27713, United States. Electronic address: Knguyen.IM@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Kimtuyen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nguyen
authors.affiliation: Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine, Penn State College of Medicine, 500 University Drive, Mail Stop H041, Hersey, PA 17033, United States. Electronic address: Uosman@hmc.psu.edu.
authors.forename: Umar
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Osman
authors.affiliation: Swedish Cancer Institute, Swedish Thoracic Surgery, 1101 Madison Street, Suite 900, Seattle, WA 98104, United States. Electronic address: Christopher.Gilbert@swedish.org.
authors.forename: Christopher R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Gilbert
authors.affiliation: Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Sheikh Zayed Tower, Suite 7-125, 1800 Orleans Street, Baltimore, MD 21287, United States. Electronic address: Kallen43@jhmi.edu.
authors.forename: Katie
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Allen
authors.affiliation: Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Sheikh Zayed Tower, Suite 7-125, 1800 Orleans Street, Baltimore, MD 21287, United States. Electronic address: ahmadalrais@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Ahmad Farid
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Al Rais
authors.affiliation: Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Sheikh Zayed Tower, Suite 7-125, 1800 Orleans Street, Baltimore, MD 21287, United States. Electronic address: Lyarmus@jhmi.edu.
authors.forename: Lonny
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yarmus
authors.affiliation: Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of North Carolina, 8007 Burnett Womack Building, CB 7219, Chapel Hill, NC 27713, United States. Electronic address: Jason_Akulian@med.unc.edu.
authors.forename: Jason A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Akulian
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003550:Cystic Fibrosis / Q000150:complications*; D005122:Exudates and Transudates; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D063868:Patient Outcome Assessment; D010996:Pleural Effusion / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D000069258:Thoracentesis / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: Cystic fibrosis; Patient outcome assessment; Pleural effusion