title: Management of nutritional and infectious complications of postoperative chylothorax in children.
abstract: Postoperative chylothorax may occur following any intrathoracic surgical procedure in children. From January 1979 through February 1987, 18 children aged 1 month to 9 years had chylothorax listed among their discharge diagnoses. Initial therapy for all patients consisted of chest tube placement for pleural space drainage and nutritional support with either enteral formulas enriched with medium-chain triglycerides or total parenteral nutrition. Both total parenteral nutrition and medium-chain triglyceride-enriched enteral regimens provided adequate nutritional support in these children. Five of the 18 experienced lymphopenia secondary to chylous lymphocyte loss. Infections were diagnosed in 5 patients during hospitalization; one was a fatal viral pneumonitis. No correlation between infectious complications and lymphocyte count could be demonstrated.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Pharmacology, Rainbow Babies and Childrens Hospital, Cleveland, OH 44106.
authors.forename: E M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Allen
authors.forename: D W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: van Heeckeren
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Spector
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Blumer
mesh_terms: D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002916:Chylothorax / Q000150:complications* / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy; D004322:Drainage; D004750:Enteral Nutrition / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D005526:Food, Formulated; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008231:Lymphopenia / Q000150:complications / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D010289:Parenteral Nutrition, Total; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013897:Thoracic Duct / Q000601:surgery; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014777:Virus Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D015431:Weight Loss