Diagnosis and outcome of early pleural space infection following lung transplantation.

Background: Despite the frequent occurrence of pleural effusions in lung transplant recipients, little is known about early posttransplant pleural space infections. We sought to determine the predictors and clinical significance of pleural infection in this population.

Methods: We analyzed 455 consecutive lung transplant recipients and identified patients who had undergone sampling of pleural fluid within 90 days posttransplant.