Successful use of blood pleurodesis to resolve an iatrogenic persistent pneumothorax in a patient with pulmonary tuberculosis.

A Somali patient with previous tuberculosis presented clinically unwell with features consistent with a right-sided pleural effusion. Subsequent investigations confirmed a community-acquired pneumonia and relapse of pulmonary tuberculosis, with a drug resistant strain isolated. The patient developed a large left-sided iatrogenic pneumothorax, which recurred and failed to resolve despite the successful insertion of both Seldinger and surgical chest drains, and the patient remained clinically unstable on the intensive care unit. A blood pleurodesis was successfully used to provide resolution of this patient's previously persistent pneumothorax, which has resulted in stabilisation of the patient and no further pneumothoraces have occurred subsequently. The authors therefore highlight the use of a blood pleurodesis as a little used technique that may provide a valuable tool to other clinicians in similar cases.