I. Introduction Empyema is a condition in which pus and fluid from infected tissue collects in a body cavity.

The name comes from the Greek word empyein meaning pus-producing (suppurate). Empyema is most often used to refer to collections of pus in the space around the lungs (pleural cavity), but sometimes refers to similar collections in the gall bladder or the pelvic cavity. Empyema in the pleural cavity is sometimes called empyema thoracis, or empyema of the chest, to distinguish it from empyema elsewhere in the body.

Empyema may have a number of causes but is most frequently a complication of pneumonia. Its development can be divided into three stages. The American Thoracic Society described three stages in the natural course of empyema: the exudative, fibrinopurulent, and organizing phases.It is best to regard these stages as a continuum and that the development of empyema in association with pneumonia is a progressive process that starts as simple exudation and develops into the organizing phase

One of the reasons why I chose this topic because the patient himself caught my attention. A 15 year old boy who is supposed to be outside the hospital playing with other kids, studying and helping his parents in household choirs is now confined in a hospital. I wonder what his condition is, and how his parents are adapting to his condition. I am also a parent, and the worst feeling is seeing your child confined in a hospital. Secondly, Empyema Thoracis doesnt sound familiar in my ears, and even in my eyes. As a matter of fact, during endorsement; I pronounced it as Emphysema. Maam Alou just smiled and asked me to say it again. Which I pronounced it correctly afterwards.