Empyema

Summary

Empyema (MONDO:0005242) is a disease and 25 clinical trials. Top therapeutic interventions include alteplase, cefazolin, and clavulanic acid. A subtype of bacterial infectious disease — broader associated-gene and molecular evidence is on the parent page (see Disease family below).

At a glance

• Clinical trials: 25

Clinical features

No curated clinical features (Orphanet) for this disease.

Identifiers

Disease identifiers

Field	Value
Canonical name	empyema
Mondo ID	MONDO:0005242
EFO	EFO:0003097
MeSH	D004653
NCIT	C34572
SNOMED CT	312682007
UMLS	C0014009
MedGen	8597
Is cancer (heuristic)	no

Disease family

This is a subtype of bacterial infectious disease. Genetic, therapeutic, and trial evidence is largely curated at the broader-term level — see the parent page for the associated-gene cohort and molecular evidence.

Classification path: disease › human disease › disease by etiologic mechanism › disease of primarily extrinsic mechanism › infectious disease › bacterial infectious disease › empyema

Related subtypes (51): primary bacterial infectious disease, commensal bacterial infectious disease, opportunistic bacterial infectious disease, chorioamnionitis, Clostridium difficile colitis, bacterial gastritis, bacterial arthritis, bacterial pneumonia, Whipple disease, Aeromonas hydrophila infectious disease, Pectobacterium carotovorum infection, Pseudomonas infection, septic peritonitis, bacterial infectious disease with sepsis, bacterial urinary tract infection, bacterial sexually transmitted disease, meningococcal infection, pasteurellosis, peritonsillar abscess, pneumonic pasteurellosis, tracheitis, Actinobacillus infectious disease, bacterial conjunctivitis, bacterial endocarditis, bacterial meningitis, Bifidobacteriales infectious disease, haemophilus infectious disease, Proteus infectious disease, pulpitis, rat-bite fever, Rickettsiosis, vibrio infectious disease, Yersinia infectious disease, bacterial myositis, noma, idiopathic severe pneumococcemia, necrotizing soft tissue infection, mycobacterial infectious disease, escherichia coli infection, gram-negative bacterial infections, gram-positive bacterial infections, spirochaetales infections, skin disease caused by bacterial infection, staphylococcal infection, anaerobic bacteria infectious disease, Klebsiella infectious disease, fournier gangrene, botryomycosis, bacterial hemorrhagic fever, Mycoplasmoides infection, Enterococcus infectious disease

Subtypes (2): tuberculous empyema, subdural empyema

Genetics & variants

GWAS landscape

No GWAS associations recorded — common-variant (GWAS) studies don’t cover this disease (typical for Mendelian / rare diseases). See the curated gene cohort and Mendelian overlap below.

Variant details and genetic-evidence tiers

No tiered GWAS variants or ClinVar records for this disease.

Genes & proteins

No associated-gene cohort resolved for this disease. Atlas builds the molecular and therapeutic sections — associated genes, protein families, druggability, pathways, interactions, and drug associations — by aggregating over a disease’s associated genes (resolved via GWAS / GenCC / ClinVar / CIViC), and none resolved here. This is expected for antibody-mediated, autoimmune, or otherwise non-gene-defined conditions; the curated evidence for this disease is its clinical features, GWAS susceptibility, and clinical trials (above).

Function

No pathway enrichment — requires an associated-gene cohort.

Therapeutics

Drugs indicated for this disease

1 approved, 3 in late-stage (phase 3) trials. Disease-direct ChEMBL indications, not inferred from the associated-gene cohort below.

Drug	Development status
Clindamycin Phosphate	Approved (phase 4)
Alteplase	Phase 3 (in late-stage trials)
Dornase Alfa	Phase 3 (in late-stage trials)
Urokinase	Phase 3 (in late-stage trials)

Earlier-phase candidates (phase 2, investigational — efficacy not yet established): Povidone-Iodine, Sodium Chloride.

Clinical trials & evidence

Clinical trials

Clinical trials: 25.

Phase distribution (across all retrieved trials)

Phase	Trials
Not specified	15
PHASE3	4
PHASE4	3
PHASE2/PHASE3	1
PHASE2	1
PHASE1	1

Top trials by phase / activity

NCT	Phase	Status	Title
NCT07095361	PHASE4	RECRUITING	Once Daily Intrapleural Enzyme Therapy in Complicated Parapneumonic Effusion or Empyema
NCT02446782	PHASE4	COMPLETED	Efficacy and Safety of Prophylactic Use of an Antibiotic for Medical Thoracoscopy
NCT03468933	PHASE4	COMPLETED	Fibrinolysis Compared to Thoracoscopy for Pleural Infection
NCT00323531	PHASE2/PHASE3	COMPLETED	Thoracoscopy Versus Fibrinolysis in Children With Empyema
NCT00798278	PHASE3	COMPLETED	Urokinase Versus Video-assisted Thoracoscopic to Treat Complicated Parapneumonic Empyema in Childhood
NCT01522885	PHASE3	COMPLETED	KatGuide Method Versus Conventional Method at Insertion of Chest Tube
NCT01625247	PHASE3	UNKNOWN	Drainage is Not Necessary Procedure After Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy Due to Severe Acute Cholecystitis
NCT01862458	PHASE3	WITHDRAWN	Empyema Treated With tPA & DNAse
NCT01261546	PHASE2	COMPLETED	Clinical Trial Corticoids For Empyema And Pleural Effusion In Children
NCT00144950	PHASE1	COMPLETED	Urokinase Versus Primary Video-Assisted Thorascopic Surgery for Empyema
NCT05620329	Not specified	RECRUITING	UNC Pleural Fluid Registry
NCT06235359	Not specified	NOT_YET_RECRUITING	Is Intercostal Tube Enough in Management of Empyema
NCT06734481	Not specified	RECRUITING	Effectiveness and Safety of Sodium Bicarbonate Pleural Lavage in the Treatment of Complex Pleural Effusion
NCT00103766	Not specified	UNKNOWN	Alteplase for Treatment of Empyema and Complicated Parapneumonic Effusion
NCT00313066	Not specified	UNKNOWN	Comparison the Level of CTGF Protein and Related Cytokine in Pleural Effusion
NCT01178580	Not specified	COMPLETED	Procoagulant Activity in Patients With Community Acquired Pneumonia, Pleural Effusion and Empyema
NCT01287013	Not specified	TERMINATED	Comparing Xperguide vs. Conventional Methods During Percutaneous Image Guided Procedures
NCT02014077	Not specified	COMPLETED	VATS ( Video-Assisted Thoracoscopy) Compared to Reinsertion of a Thoracostomy Tube for Persistent Haemothorax
NCT03167723	Not specified	COMPLETED	Prospective Evaluation of 14F Thal Tube vs 28 French Chest Tube for Hemothorax and Use of Maximum Barrier Precautions
NCT03716375	Not specified	UNKNOWN	Efficacy of Fibrinolytic Agents in Complicated Pleural Effusion
NCT03859206	Not specified	UNKNOWN	Medical Thoracoscopy Versus Tube Thoracostomy in Management of Empyema .
NCT04193241	Not specified	UNKNOWN	Suturing With U-Technique Versus Un-Reapproximated Wound Edges During Removal of Closed Thoracostomy Tube Drain
NCT04350502	Not specified	COMPLETED	Pharmacokinetics and Pleural Fluid Penetration of Amoxicillin and Clavulanic Acid in Patients With Pleural Infections
NCT04695275	Not specified	UNKNOWN	Clinical Feature and Microbiology Characteristics of Empyema in Children
NCT06132997	Not specified	UNKNOWN	Medical Thoracoscopy in Treatment Outcomes of Empyema Management

Drugs tested across these trials (top 30)

Molecule	Max phase	Trials referencing
ALTEPLASE	4	1
CEFAZOLIN	4	1
CLAVULANIC ACID	4	1
SODIUM CHLORIDE	4	1
UROKINASE	4	1