Autologous “Blood Patch” Pleurodesis for Persistent Pulmonary Air Leak

Autologous blood patching in the management of broncho-pleural fistula in spontaneous pneumothorax

“…5 Many subsequent authors have described its use in management of PAL after pulmonary resections and after hydatid cyst operations [6][7][8][9] The success of ABP has been varied in reported literature with success rate as low as 27% and also upto72-100%. [10][11][12] We conducted this study to evaluate the success rate of ABP in a large population of patients with BPF of spontaneous onset.…”

Autologous blood pleurodesis for pneumothorax complicating graft-versus-host disease-related bronchiolitis obliterans

“…It would appear to be a simple, effective and inexpensive method of treating a potentially frustrating and recurrent complication of BO without serious side effects, and thus avoiding further surgical and anaesthetic intervention. It has been described as a painless procedure; 6,7 however, in this case, the procedure was not well tolerated on the first instillation and some discomfort was experienced for several hours afterwards. Local anaesthetic was given via the thoracostomy tube on the second occasion with good effect.…”

“…9 Successful treatment of persistent air leak with autologous blood patch pleurodesis has been previously described in adults. 5,6,7 However, we could find no references of a child with persistent pneumothorax complicating BO being treated by this method. In previous studies, varying volumes of autologous blood were instilled via a thoracostomy tube, ranging from 50 to 250 ml, given on one to three occasions.…”

“…5,6 Many agents have been described for use in chemical pleurodesis, with the ultimate aim of promoting adhesion formation. These include tetracycline, iodised talcum powder, silver nitrate, biological glues and blood.…”

“…These include tetracycline, iodised talcum powder, silver nitrate, biological glues and blood. 5,6,7 Autologous blood pleurodesis promotes fibrinous pleuritis, leading to pleurodesis as observed following traumatic haemothorax. We decided to use autologous blood for several reasons.…”