Pleural fluid analysis
| Day 1 (at admission) | Day 16 (immediately post-thoracoscopy) | |
| Colour | Straw-coloured | Black |
| Appearance | Turbid | Black |
| pH | 7.46 | 7.29 |
| Glucose mmol·L−1 | 4.5 | |
| Protein g·L−1 | 40.2 | |
| Serum protein g·L−1 | 71 | |
| Albumin g·L−1 | 20.6 | |
| LDH U·L−1 | 358 | 980 |
| Serum LDH U·L−1 | 271 | |
| WBC cells·µL−1 | 328 | 1125 |
| Neutrophils % | 3 | 87 |
| Lymphocytes % | 93 | 7 |
| Monocytes % | 4 | 6 |
| RBC cells·µL−1 | 613 | 15 375 |
| Gram stain | Negative | Gram-negative bacilli |
| Culture | Negative | Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumoniae |
| Fungal culture | Negative | Negative |
| TB PCR, smear, and culture | Negative | Not done |
| Cytology | Abnormal large cohesive cells with nuclear polymorphism and vacuolated cytoplasm suspicious of malignant infiltration | Malignant cells present |
| Special characteristics | Abundant mesothelial cells present | Prominent RBCs# |
| Effusion characterisation | Lymphocytic, exudative, malignant effusion | Empyema in a malignant effusion |
LDH: lactate dehydrogenase; WBC: white blood cell; RBC: red blood cell; #: RBC content declined successively over the following days.