A widely used treatment for a type of life threatening chest infection is essentially ineffective, say experts. Some people with pneumonia develop an infection of the lining that coats the outside of the lung, called the pleura. Draining off the infected pus that collects between the lung and the chest wall helps, and some believe adding a drug into the space speeds this up. But a Medical Research Council study in the New England Journal of Medicine calls into question this rationale. Previous studies suggesting some benefit of administering so-called ‘fibrinolytic’ drugs, such as streptokinase, into the chest cavity have involved only small numbers of patients. It was thought that these drugs might help make the fluid more runny and break down any pockets of pus so it is easier to drain. Streptokinase is also used to break down blood clots in patients who have had a stroke.
