Fungal Culture - Empyema Fluid Test

Empyema occurs when a pus accommodates in the area between the lungs and the inner surface of the chest wall. This area refers as the pleural space. Basically, Pus is a fluid which is comprises of immune cells, dead cells, and bacteria. Pus in the pleural space can’t be coughed out. Thus, it requires to be treated with by a surgery. This Empyema can lead to breathing difficulties as lungs may not be able to inflate properly. In order to understand fungal infection in the empyema fluid, doctor suggests for a Fungal Culture test.

Usually doctor may advise a patient to appear for this test if suspected to have pneumonia that isn’t responding to treatment. Your doctor will take a complete medical history and physical examination. Also, may diagnose your condition by recommending these tests to detect stage of your infection such as; -
- Chest X-rays and CT scans will show whether or not there’s fluid in the pleural space.
- An ultrasound of the chest will show the amount of fluid and its exact location.
- Blood tests can help check your white blood cell count, look for the C-reactive protein, and identify the bacteria causing the infection. White cell count can be elevated when you have an infection.
- During a thoracentesis, a needle is inserted through the back of your ribcage into the pleural space to take a sample of fluid. The fluid is then analyzed under a microscope to look for bacteria, protein, and other cells.
Later may advise the patient to appear for Fungal Culture Empyema Fluid test. Also, your doctor depending on your condition will give specific instructions.

Overall, a Fungal Culture test is used to help detect and diagnose a fungal infection, to help guide treatment, and/or to monitor the effectiveness of treatment.

In order to treat this, there are two methods. First method is adopted if condition of a patient is at a normal stage where doctors drain the fluid from pleural space with the help of a needle. In second method, where a condition is more serious and a patient has developed a complex empyema, a drainage tube must be used to drain the pus. There are different types of surgery for this: Thoracostomy, Video-assisted thoracic surgery, and Open decortication