Surgical decortication as the first-line treatment for pleural empyema Jung Ar Shin, MD, Yoon Soo Chang, MD, PhD, Tae Hoon Kim, MD, PhD, Seok Jin Haam, MD, Hyung Jung Kim, MD, PhD, Chul Min Ahn, MD, PhD, Min Kwang Byun, MD  The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery  Volume 145, Issue 4, Pages 933-939.e1 (April 2013) DOI: 10.1016/j.jtcvs.2012.07.035 Copyright © 2013 The American Association for Thoracic Surgery Terms and Conditions

Figure 1 Multivariate analysis of overall treatment success. Odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) of overall treatment success with BMI of 17 kg/m2 or greater, ECOG score, APACHE II score less than 20, mean arterial pressure 60 mm Hg or greater, serum albumin 3.0 g/dL or greater, and decortications as a first treatment were analyzed using logistic regression in stepwise manner. After propensity-scored matching adjustment, decortication as a first intervention remained the most important predictive factor of a successful treatment outcome. APACHE II, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II; BMI, body mass index; BP, blood pressure; CI, confidence interval; ECOG, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group; OR, odds ratio. The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery 2013 145, 933-939.e1DOI: (10.1016/j.jtcvs.2012.07.035) Copyright © 2013 The American Association for Thoracic Surgery Terms and Conditions