Sweet hydrothorax: a common presentation of a rare condition

Sweet hydrothorax is a known, yet rare, complication of peritoneal dialysis. It can be life-threatening. This case is about a 70-year-old lady who presented with acute respiratory failure due to massive right-sided hydrothorax that developed insidiously over 3 months of starting peritoneal dialysis....

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Mohamad Alhoda Mohamad Alahmad, Rahil Kasmani
Format: article
Language:EN
Published: Thieme Medical and Scientific Publishers Pvt. Ltd. 2019
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Online Access:https://doaj.org/article/37b3126fb7c346ff91f335de901b8742
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Summary:Sweet hydrothorax is a known, yet rare, complication of peritoneal dialysis. It can be life-threatening. This case is about a 70-year-old lady who presented with acute respiratory failure due to massive right-sided hydrothorax that developed insidiously over 3 months of starting peritoneal dialysis. Thoracentesis and technetium scan confirmed the diagnosis. Treatment was successful with hemodialysis. Key messages – Peritoneal Dialysis (PD) can be complicated by sweet hydrothorax. – Symptoms onset after initiation of PD and symptoms resolve with its discontinuation suggest the diagnosis. – High gradient glucose level between pleural fluid and plasma is a hallmark feature of sweet hydrothorax. – Patients with life-threatening symptoms can consider hemodialysis or surgical options.