Welcome to the Malignant Pleural Effusion (MPE) Clinic in Oakville, where we provide comprehensive and compassionate care for patients suffering from suspected or diagnosed malignant pleural effusions. Our team strives to provide complete care for patients in the Halton region and aims to reduce patient wait times, hospitalizations and emergency department visits due to symptoms associated with malignant pleural effusion such as shortness of breath, chest pain or discomfort and coughing.
The MPE Clinic will arrange for an urgent assessment within 1-2 weeks of receiving a referral and complete the diagnostic evaluation and therapies required. We provide close follow up as needed for patients and work with community nursing support to coordinate home care when required.
What is a Malignant Pleural Effusion?
A malignant pleural effusion is a condition where fluid accumulates in the pleural cavity surrounding the lungs. This fluid buildup can be caused by a variety of cancers, including lung, breast, colon cancer, lymphoma and mesothelioma. Malignant pleural effusions can cause symptoms such as shortness of breath, chest pain or discomfort and coughing.
Our Services
At our clinic, we offer a range of services to diagnose and treat symptoms of malignant pleural effusion. Our experienced team of healthcare professionals includes an interventional pulmonologist, nursing and administrative staff who work together to provide personalized care for each patient.
Our services include:
- Diagnosis: We use advanced imaging techniques such as chest X-rays, CT scans, and ultrasounds to diagnose malignant pleural effusions. We may also perform a thoracentesis, which involves removing a small amount of fluid from the pleural cavity for analysis.
- Treatment: Our treatment options include thoracentesis and tunneled pleural catheters.
- Thoracentesis involves draining the fluid from the pleural cavity using a needle under ultrasound guidance.
- A tunneled pleural catheter is a semi-permanent drain that can be placed to have drainages completed at home or in a local LHIN home care facility multiple times a week as needed to help control patient symptoms.
At our clinic, we are committed to providing the highest quality of care to our patients. We believe in a patient-centered approach to care, where we work closely with our patients to develop personalized treatment plans that address their individual needs and concerns.
Our team of healthcare professionals is highly experienced and skilled in diagnosing and treating malignant pleural effusion. We use the latest technology and techniques to ensure the best possible outcomes for our patients.
How does this help you?
The Halton MPE Clinic provides patients with a central point of contact from initial investigations and therapeutic interventions to ongoing follow up of symptoms related to their malignant pleural effusions. We provide innovative and novel intervention techniques including tunneled pleural catheters and ultrasound guided thoracentesis to help with your symptoms.
We also work closely with our allied health team to ensure a timely assessment and ongoing follow up as needed to avoid patients having to visit the emergency department and avoid hospitalizations.
Our goal is to provide patients with symptom relief and focus on ensuring quality of life is met including a focus on maintaining time in their home environment.
Referral forms
We welcome referrals from specialists, family doctors, and emergency department physicians. We believe that collaboration between healthcare professionals is essential in providing the best possible care for our patients.
If you have a patient who may benefit from our services, we encourage you to refer them using our referral form. Our referral form is easy to complete and provides us with the information we need to ensure that your patient receives the best possible care.
Before your visit
Once your appointment has been set, our nurse will call to discuss your symptoms and medications prior to us seeing you and answer any outstanding questions or concerns.
On the day of your appointment please arrive 30 minutes prior to the set time as we will ask you to complete a Chest X-ray prior to the visit.
Fax: 905-338-4685
Email: dapclinics@haltonhealthcare.com
Questions/Resources
If you have any questions or concerns about our clinic, we encourage you to reach out to our team. Our experts are available to answer any questions you may have about our services and what to expect during your visit.
For more information and resources about peer support please visit the Canadian Cancer Society website for more information.
If you require assistance with driving to and from appointments, please contact your local Canadian Cancer Society for more information at 1-888-939-3333.
Further helpful resources can be found on the Cancer Care Ontario website.