To assess the efficacy of vacuum negative pressure drainage of pleural effusion by ultrasound-guided thoracentesis and central venous catheterization.

A total of 156 patients with pleural effusion who were admitted to the Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University from February 2015 to December 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. According to the puncture method, the subjects were divided into either a control group (78 cases) or an observation group (78 cases). The observation group underwent ultrasound-guided thoracentesis catheterization and drainage, and the control group underwent conventional thoracentesis catheterization and drainage. The success rate of puncture, the incidence of puncture complications, the effective rate of drainage, and the average drainage time in the two groups were compared.

The puncture success rate in the observation group was 98.72%, which was significantly higher than that of the control group (88.46%; χ²=6.84, P=0.01). The incidence of puncture complications was significantly lower in the observation group than in the control group (6.41% vs 17.95%, χ²=4.85, P=0.028). The total effective rate of drainage was significantly higher in the observation group was 84.42%, which was higher than 69.57% in the control group (84.42% vs 69.57%, χ²=4.59, P=0.03). The average drainage time was significantly shorter in the observation group than in the control group (3.40±1.11 days vs 4.03±1.12 days, t=3.53, P=0.00).

Ultrasound-guided central venous catheter placement and vacuum negative pressure drainage can be used to treat pleural effusions, which can increase the success rate of puncture, reduce puncture complications, and improve the drainage effect.