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Empyema (em·py·ema) in children is a condition that causes pus to pool in the area between the lungs and the chest wall.
When a child has empyema, pus (fluid filled with immune cells, bacteria and dead cells) pools in the area between the lungs and the inner surface of the chest wall – known as the pleural space.
When a child has pus that gathers in the pleural space, they can’t cough it out. Therefore, it must be drained using a needle or surgical procedure.
There are two types of empyema:
Symptoms of simple empyema:
Symptoms of complex empyema:
Your child is at an increased risk to develop post-pneumonia empyema if they also have:
In most cases, empyema develops after a child has had pneumonia.