NCT07337993

Fungal Empyema Thoracis

Recruiting now NA Last updated 13 January 2026

What this trial tests

NA trial testing pleural lavage followed by surgery in Pyothorax in 50 participants. Currently enrolling.

Timeline

1 July 2025

Primary endpoint
31 December 2026

31 March 2027

Quick facts

Lead sponsor	University of Health Sciences Lahore
Phase	NA
Status	Recruiting now
Study type	INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation	randomized
Design	parallel
Masking	single
Primary purpose	treatment
Enrollment	50
Start date	1 July 2025
Primary completion	31 December 2026
Estimated completion	31 March 2027
Sites	1 location across Pakistan

Drugs / interventions tested

• pleural lavage followed by surgery
• Decortication
• Conservative Arm — full drug profile →

Conditions studied

• Pyothorax — all drugs for Pyothorax →
• Fungal Infection Lungs — all drugs for Fungal Infection Lungs →
• Pleural Empyema — all drugs for Pleural Empyema →

Sponsor

University of Health Sciences Lahore

Who can join

Eligibility, any sex, with Pyothorax or Fungal Infection Lungs. Patients with the condition only — healthy volunteers not accepted.

Sponsor's own description

Background:

Fungal empyema thoracis is a rare but life-threatening pleural infection caused by fungal organisms such as Aspergillus and Candida species. It typically occurs in immunocompromised or debilitated patients and carries a high mortality rate. Conventional management involves systemic antifungal therapy and surgical decortication; however, many patients are unfit for surgery due to poor clinical status or multiple comorbidities. The use of local intrapleural antifungal therapy remains poorly studied.

Objective:

This study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of pleural lavage with voriconazole in patients with fungal empyema thoracis, both as a pre-surgical adjunct and as a palliative measure for patients who cannot undergo surgery.

Methods:

A prospective cohort study will be conducted at the Department of Thoracic Surgery, Services Hospital, Lahore. Patients diagnosed with fungal empyema confirmed by pleural fluid culture or cytology will be included. Through an indwelling chest tube, voriconazole (200 mg in 100 mL normal saline) will be instilled into the pleural cavity once daily for three consecutive days. Patients will be assessed for improvement in clinical symptoms, radiological clearance, reduction in fungal load, and the need for surgical intervention. Data will be statistically analyzed to determine treatment response and safety outcomes.

Conclusion:

Pleural lavage with voriconazole offers a promising, minimally invasive approach for managing fungal empyema thoracis. If proven effective, this method could serve as a valuable addition to current antifungal strategies, improving outcomes for critically ill patients who are not candidates for surgery.

Publications & conference data

No peer-reviewed publications indexed yet for this trial.