Management of thoracic empyema in children: a survey of the Australia and New Zealand Association of Paediatric Surgeons (ANZAPS)

Survey of 54 pediatric surgeons across Australia and New Zealand reveals significant practice variation in managing thoracic empyema in children, with 61% preferring chest drain with fibrinolytics (primarily urokinase) over VATS. All reported management approaches align with Thoracic Society guidelines despite the variation in technique preference.