Physical Therapy Rehabilitation for a Chronic Alcoholic Patient With Loculated Pleural Effusion

Pleural effusion is the accumulation of extra fluid between the layers of the pleura outside the lungs, also known as water on the lungs. Pleura are thin membranes that lubricate and aid breathing by lining the lungs and the inside of the chest cavity. The pleural space typically contains only a few teaspoons of watery fluid, which enables the lungs to move easily inside the chest cavity when breathing. Several barriers limited the patient’s capacity to carry out daily activities successfully and efficiently. Loculated effusions are most frequently associated with diseases such as empyema, hemothorax, or tuberculosis that result in severe pleural inflammation. Hence, a physiotherapy program is started to help improve the patient’s symptoms. A 59-year-old male presented to the hospital with the chief complaint of left-sided chest pain, fever, and breathlessness. On the Modified Medical Research Council dyspnea scale, breathlessness was grade 3.