What is another common irritant employed for pleurodesis aside from talc?

Doxycycline is indeed a common irritant used for pleurodesis, particularly in patients with recurrent pleural effusions, such as those caused by malignancy or other chronic conditions. Pleurodesis is a medical procedure aimed at causing the pleural layers to adhere to each other, thereby preventing the accumulation of fluid in the pleural space. Doxycycline, being a sclerosing agent, promotes inflammatory responses that lead to the fusion of the visceral and parietal pleura.

In practice, the procedure involves instilling doxycycline into the pleural space, where it acts similarly to talc by inducing pleural inflammation. This results in an effective and usually well-tolerated treatment option for managing pleural effusions. The use of doxycycline can be particularly advantageous for patients who may not tolerate other agents well or for those who require a less invasive approach.

Other options would not typically serve this purpose in a clinical setting.