title: Chylothorax as a complication of harvesting the left internal thoracic artery in coronary artery bypass surgery.
abstract: A patient is described with chylothorax after harvesting the left internal thoracic artery for coronary artery bypass surgery. Conservative treatment with a medium chain triglycerides diet and tube thoracostomy was not only unsuccessful, but also resulted in the complications of malnutrition and empyema. We recommend early surgical treatment of chylothorax after coronary bypass surgery with the use of an internal thoracic artery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Surgery, Dijkzigt University Hospital, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Bogers
authors.forename: W H
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Pardijs
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Van Herwerden
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bos
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002916:Chylothorax / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D013895:Thoracic Arteries / Q000601:surgery*