{
  "abstract": "Introduction Indwelling pleural catheters (IPCs) are widely used for symptomatic relief in malignant pleural effusion (MPE). While IPC drainage is typically managed by District Nurses (DNs), an increasing number of patients and carers now undertake self-drainage (SD). Self-management offers patients greater autonomy, flexibility, and reduced reliance on healthcare resources. Reported IPC-related infection rates typically range from 5% to 10%. This analysis aimed to compare infection outcomes between self-drainers (SD) and non-self-drainers (NSD) within a tertiary pleural service.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on all IPC insertions performed between January 2024 and February 2025.Results A total of 111 patients were included. 56 patients were male (50.5%). 14/111 (12.6%) were SDs and 97/111 (87.4%) were NSDs. Overall infection rate was 20/111 (18%). The median age of SD to NSD was 52 vs 71 years, respectively. Pleural and wound infection rates were higher in SD group with similar median time to pleural infection in both groups, however shorter median time in SD group with respect to wound infections (see table 1).Among 61 patients receiving SACT, 12 (19.6%) developed infections, compared to 8/50 (16%) in the non-SACT group (p=0.80). By diagnosis, infection rates were highest in breast cancer (28.6%), mesothelioma (26.7%), and lymphoma (25%), though these differences were not statistically significant. No significant difference in infection rates was observed between malignant (19/104) and benign effusions (1/7). The time IPCs remained in-situ (range 5–430 days, median 74) was not associated with increased infection risk.Abstract P275 Table 1Comparison of infection rates and time between SD and NSD – 3 patients in SD group and 0 in NSD group had both pleural and wound infectionDiscussion Self-drainage was associated with significantly higher wound infection rates and a trend toward increased pleural and overall infections. The small sample of SD patients and higher prevalence of infection-prone diagnoses such as breast cancer within this group may confound interpretation. Nonetheless, these findings highlight a need for more education, not only for SD but all IPC patients. Based on this, our service is introducing a structured checklist and competency-based ‘license’ for all patients and carers undertaking self-management. These tools are designed to serve both as a practical aide-mémoire and as a framework for assessing aseptic technique in self-management.",
  "authors": [
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Respiratory Medicine, Glenfield Hospital, University Hospitals Leicester NHS Trust, Leicester, UK"
      ],
      "name": "A Baguneid"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Respiratory Medicine, Glenfield Hospital, University Hospitals Leicester NHS Trust, Leicester, UK"
      ],
      "name": "N Newnham"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Respiratory Medicine, Glenfield Hospital, University Hospitals Leicester NHS Trust, Leicester, UK"
      ],
      "name": "S Johnstone"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Respiratory Medicine, Glenfield Hospital, University Hospitals Leicester NHS Trust, Leicester, UK"
      ],
      "name": "F Hinchcliffe"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Respiratory Medicine, Glenfield Hospital, University Hospitals Leicester NHS Trust, Leicester, UK"
      ],
      "name": "A Hand"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Respiratory Medicine, Glenfield Hospital, University Hospitals Leicester NHS Trust, Leicester, UK"
      ],
      "name": "D Li"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Respiratory Medicine, Glenfield Hospital, University Hospitals Leicester NHS Trust, Leicester, UK"
      ],
      "name": "S Mohammad"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Respiratory Medicine, Glenfield Hospital, University Hospitals Leicester NHS Trust, Leicester, UK"
      ],
      "name": "R Sudhir"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Respiratory Medicine, Glenfield Hospital, University Hospitals Leicester NHS Trust, Leicester, UK"
      ],
      "name": "R Panchal"
    }
  ],
  "title": "P275 Do self-drainers have higher indwelling pleural catheter infection rates than non-self-drainers?",
  "uid": "8a388e4d-7b56-5823-a320-05c469c9a12e"
}