thoracentesis definition - SportsID
Thoracentesis treats pleural effusion, or excess fluid in the space between your lungs and your chest wall. It helps relieve symptoms and figure out what might be causing the fluid, so that your provider can treat it appropriately. Thoracentesis is a procedure in which a doctor uses a needle and catheter to remove excess fluid from the space between your lungs and the wall of your chest, known as the pleural space.
Understanding the Context
During a thoracentesis, a needle is put through the skin of the chest into the pleural space. This drains the extra fluid. Why might I need thoracentesis? Thoracentesis is done to remove the extra fluid when it's causing symptoms, such as trouble breathing.
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Key Insights
Or it's done to find the cause of a pleural effusion. Also known as pleural fluid analysis, thoracentesis is a procedure that removes fluid or air from the chest through a needle or tube. The lungs are lined on the outside with two thin layers of tissue called pleura. The space between these two layers is called the pleural space. The meaning of THORACENTESIS is aspiration of fluid from the chest (as in empyema) —called also thoracocentesis.
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Thoracentesis is a procedure to remove fluid from the space between the lining of the outside of the lungs (pleura) and the wall of the chest. Thoracentesis may be performed for diagnosis and/or therapy. Related procedures, including needle, catheter, and tube thoracostomy, are performed for therapeutic purposes, such as treating pneumothorax or draining certain pleural fluids. Learn about thoracentesis, a procedure to remove excess pleural fluid, its indications, steps, and potential risks in respiratory care.