VATS or Intrapleural Enzymatic Therapy for Patients With Empyema.

A parapneumonic pleural infection is a frequently encountered and serious medical emergency with high morbidity and mortality in specific patient groups (especially in the elderly and immunocompromised). The burden of disease is high; extensive hospital stays, reduced Health-Related Quality of Life (HR-QoL) and long times to return to daily activities or to work are reported by patients and in studies. Standard care of pleural infections consists of placement of a chest tube and antibiotics. It is estimated that approximately 50% of patients with a pleural infection can be treated successfully with this strategy. When standard care fails, two main treatment modalities are available. One is intrapleural enzymatic therapy (IET), where medication is inserted through the chest tube. The other modality is minimally invasive surgery by video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS). Although both modalities are extensively used, no consensus exits on which modality is superior or more cost-effective. This has led to extensive practice variation throughout hospitals in the Netherlands and to prolonged treatment episodes. The scarce literature on the subject to date appears to favor VATS in terms of treatment duration, but this is not supported by solid scientific evidence. The primary objective is to provide decisive evidence on which treatment modality is superior for the treatment of pleural infections. This evidence will help to guide future treatment decisions and will lead to optimal and cost effective treatment of pleural infections. In order to provide this evidence, the investigators aim to investigate which modality results in the shortest length of hospital stay (LOS). In addition, the investigators want to investigate which modality is superior in terms of patient-reported outcomes (PROMs), complications, re-interventions and mortality. The main trial endpoint is LOS during the first 30 days. This is defined as the time from the moment of chest tube insertion to the date of discharge.