Loading...
Guidelines vary on recommended platelet and international normalized ratio (INR) levels for thoracentesis. The American Thoracic Society cites coagulopathy as a risk for the procedure (Am Rev Respir Dis 1989; 140:257) but does not suggest “safe” preprocedural coagulation levels, whereas the Society of Interventional Radiology recommends INRs <2.0 and platelet counts >50,000/µL (J Vasc Interv Radiol 2012; 23:727). To assess risk for bleeding complications after thoracentesis in patients with abnormal coagulation values, Mayo Clinic investigators reviewed 1009 real-time ultrasound-guided thoracenteses performed by experienced radiologists, supervised radiology residents, or ultrasound imaging fellows. All patients had preprocedural platelet c…