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Infective endocarditis in the Western Cape of South Africa is a disease of younger adults, with a male predominance. Rheumatic heart disease is the major predisposing factor. Degenerative heart disease and intravenous drug abuse are not important risk factors. Our data do not support the notion that HIV infection is an independent risk factor for IE. Local mortality rates are much higher than recent international figures, as is the proportion of 'culture-negative' IE.

Tuberculous effusion is a common disease entity with a spectrum of presentations from a largely benign effusion, which resolves completely, to a complicated effusion with loculations, pleural thickening and even frank empyema, all of which may have a lasting effect on lung function. The pathogenesis is a combination of true pleural infection and an effusive hypersensitivity reaction, compartmentalized within the pleural space. Diagnostic thoracentesis with thorough pleural fluid analysis including biomarkers such as adenosine deaminase and gamma interferon achieves high accuracy in the correct clinical context. Definitive diagnosis may require invasive procedures to demonstrate histological evidence of caseating granulomas or microbiological evidence of the organism on smear or culture. Drug resistance is an emerging problem that requires vigilance and extra effort to acquire a complete drug sensitivity profile for each tuberculous effusion treated. Nucleic acid amplification tests such as Xpert MTB/RIF can be invaluable in this instance; however, the yield is low in pleural fluid. Treatment consists of standard anti‐tuberculous therapy or a guideline‐based individualized regimen in the case of drug resistance. There is low‐quality evidence that suggests possible benefit from corticosteroids; however, they are not currently recommended due to concomitant increased risk of adverse effects. Small studies report some short‐ and long‐term benefit from interventions such as therapeutic thoracentesis, intrapleural fibrinolytics and surgery but many questions remain to be answered.

We assessed the utility of ultrasound to guide the selection of closed pleural biopsy technique and site and to assess the respective contributions of repeat thoracentesis and closed pleural biopsy in 100 consecutive patients with undiagnosed pleural exudates. Thoracentesis was more likely to be diagnostic in TB than malignancy (77.8% vs 31.0%, p<0.001). The addition of ultrasound-guided biopsy increased the combined yield for all diagnoses from 48.0% to 90.0% (p<0.001), for malignancy from 31.0% to 89.7% (p<0.001) and for TB from 77.8% to 88.9% (p=0.688). Our findings suggest that this minimally invasive approach has a high diagnostic yield.

Background. Office spirometry remains an integral part of a comprehensive respiratory evaluation and is used to categorise the nature, severity and progression of respiratory diseases and to measure response to treatment. These updated guidelines are aimed at improving the quality, standardisation and usefulness of office spirometry in South Africa. Recommendations. All equipment should have proof of validation regarding resolution and the system's linearity (consistency). Moreover, equipment must be calibrated daily and quality controlled. It is also important to have standard operating procedures in place, including the documentation of ambient conditions and infection control measures.Adequate spirometry relies on a competent operator, accurate equipment, standardised operating procedures, quality control and patient co-operation. The indication for spirometry in a particular patient should be unambiguous and should be documented. Subjects should be appropriately prepared for testing, and patient details must be documented. Forced vital capacity (FVC) manoeuvres (either closed or open circuit) must be performed strictly according to guidelines, and strict quality assurance methods should be in place, including acceptability criteria (for any given effort) and repeatability (between efforts). Testing should continue until at least 3 acceptable curves are produced (with 2 fulfilling repeatability criteria). Other indices are derived from these efforts. Conclusion. Test results must be categorised and graded according to current guidelines, taking into account the indication for the test and the appropriateness of reference values.

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Malignant pleural effusion (MPE) affects more than 1 million people globally. There is a dearth of evidence on the therapeutic approach to MPE, and not surprisingly a high degree of variability in the management thereof.We aimed to provide practicing clinicians with an overview of the current evidence on the management of MPE, preferentially focusing on studies that report patient-related outcomes rather than pleurodesis alone, and to provide guidance on how to approach individual cases.A pleural intervention for MPE will perforce be palliative in nature. A therapeutic thoracentesis provides immediate relief for most. It can be repeated, especially in patients with a slow rate of recurrence and a short anticipated survival. Definitive interventions, individualized according the patient’s wishes, performance status, prognosis and other considerations (including the ability of the lung to expand) should be offered to the remainder of patients. Chemical pleurodesis (achieved via intercostal drain or pleuroscopy) and indwelling pleural catheter (IPC) have equal impact on patient-based outcomes, although patients treated with IPC spend less time in hospital and have less need for repeat pleural drainage interventions. Talc slurry via IPC is an attractive recently validated option for patients who do not have a nonexpandable lung.