Drainage was not done by an intercostal route. Instead, using CT guidance and local anesthesia, a subcostal drain was established and 1 liter of pus was removed (eFig. 4.188). It is important to bear in mind that placing a drain through the pleural cavity into the abdominal cavity effectively allows intraabdominal pus to pass into the thoracic cavity, and that this may produce an empyema (pus in the pleural space).
The patient made a slow and uneventful recovery.