TWO CASES OF POST-TRAUMATIC PNEUMOTHORAX TREATED BY AUTOLOGOUS BLOOD PATCH

Abstract

　　Autologous blood patch has been considered as a useful treatment for consistent pleuropulmonary air leak following lung surgery. In this report, we describe two cases of post-traumatic persistent pneumothorax treated by an autologous blood patch. The first case was a 50-year-old man who suffered a traumatic right pneumothorax in a traffic accident. Since he had severe pulmonary emphysema as a comorbidity, an autologous blood patch was applied as the initial treatment, which resulted in a satisfactory clinical outcome. The second case was a 22-year-old man who suffered a traumatic left pneumothorax in a traffic accident. He was also successfully treated by an autologous blood patch. Autologous blood patch is the treatment of choice for post-traumatic persistent pneumothorax.