Q: 72 year old male after CABG (Cardiac bypass surgery) developed chylothorax confirmed after diagnostic thoracentesis. Nutritional changes were made. Due to various co-morbidities surgeon asked your advise on non-surgical approaches?


Answer: Administer Octreotide 100 mcg SQ every 8 hours for 5 days.

Octreotide has shown benefit in medical (non-surgical) treatment of chylothorax.

Dalokay Kilic, MD, Ekber Sahin, MD, Oner Gulcan, MD, Bulent Bolat, MD, Riza Turkoz, MD, Ahmet Hatipoglu, MD (2005). Octreotide for Treating Chylothorax after Cardiac Surgery Texas Heart Institute Journal 32 (3): 437–39