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Journal of The Korean Society of Emergency Medicine 2008;19(4): 443-447. |
| Multi-loculated empyemas after acupuncture |
| Soung Hoon Cho, Yang Deok Lee, Do Hyung Kim, Young Mo Yang, Dong Gyu Kim, Dong Jip Na, Min Soo Han |
1Department of Internal Medicine, Eulji University Hospital, Eulji University School of Medicine, Daejeon, Korea. lyd@eulji.ac.kr
2Department of Chest Surgery, Eulji University Hospital, Eulji University School of Medicine, Daejeon, Korea.
3Department of Emergency Medicine, Eulji University Hospital, Eulji University School of Medicine, Daejeon, Korea. |
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| ABSTRACT |
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There are several reported possible complications of acupuncture including hepatitis, pneumothorax, and cardiac tamponades, but the development of empyema is unusual. All the previously described cases of empyemas were due to acupuncture needles being inadvertently left in the thoracic cavities. We describe a thirty seven years old female patient who developed empyema after multiple acupuncture sessions whose disease course was unique because the empyema developed without an acupuncture needle being left in the thoracic cavity. This case demonstrates that an acupuncture needle being left in the thoracic cavity is not necessary for the development of empyema after acupuncture sessions as previously described. |
| Key words:
Acupuncture, Empyema, VATS (video-assisted thoracic surgery) |
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