Setting up a more affordable Indwelling Pleural Catheter (IPC) set and it's procedural application in resource limited setting. Parts, assembling and cost effectiveness of Paul's IPC set.

<bold>Background:</bold> The cost of Indwelling pleural catheter (IPC) insertion is about 4500 $ and the non-reusable drainage bottle for each drainage is about 1200 $. This increased cost of therapy sometimes make it unaffordable for the patient, especially in resource limited medical care facilities in rural parts of the world. <bold>Objective:</bold> To prepare an indwelling pleural catheter set which is much cheaper and easy to assemble, with no increase in the adverse events. <bold>Methodology:</bold> The study was conducted in a secondary hospital in South India. Each parts of the currently available IPC set were replaced with appropriate and mostly reusable medical instruments that are freely available. The components of the newly assembled IPC set are shown in Fig 1. <fig><object-id>erj;64/suppl_68/PA2560/F1</object-id><object-id>F1</object-id><object-id>F1</object-id><graphic></graphic></fig> The newly prepared IPC set was applied to patients with recurring pleural effusions, over a period of four months. <bold>Results:</bold> A total of 6 patients were involved in the study. There was no significant procedure related complication. One had a catheter dislodgement. 3 achieved auto pleurodesis within 6 weeks of IPC. 2 succumbed to their illness, while on IPC for about 4 weeks. The new IPC set had brought down the catheter set cost by 1/100. <bold>Conclusion:</bold> This IPC set is easy to be assembled, magnificently cost effective and carries no added risk in comparison to the existing IPC sets.