Efficacy and Safety of Combined Autologous Blood and Minocycline Pleurodesis for Intractable Pneumothorax in High-Risk Non-Surgical Patients: A Case Series.

Pneumothorax in patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD), severe COPD, or other significant comorbidities poses a serious therapeutic challenge, especially when surgery is contraindicated. We report a case series of 22 high-risk patients with intractable secondary spontaneous pneumothorax (SSP) managed with combined autologous blood and minocycline pleurodesis. This bedside, sequential and non-mixed protocol terminated persistent air leak without major complications or recurrence during a 6-month follow-up. Our findings suggest that this simple and accessible approach may serve as a valuable non-surgical alternative in medically inoperable patients.