This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Personal Folders Download to citation manager Author home page(s): Philippe Guillem Ioannis Papachristos Christophe Peillon Permission Requests Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Guillem, P. Articles by Triboulet, J.-P. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Guillem, P. Articles by Triboulet, J.-P. Related Collections Lung - other Pleura Esophagus - other

Etilefrine use in the management of post-operative chyle leaks in thoracic surgery

^a Department of Digestive and General Surgery, Lille University Hospital, Lille, France
^b Department of Thoracic Surgery, 424 Army General Teaching Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece
^c Department of General and Vascular Surgery, Rouen University Hospital, Rouen, France

^* Corresponding author. Address: Service de Chirurgie Digestive et Générale, CAE B, Hôpital Huriez, CHRU de Lille, Rue Michel Polonovski, 59037 Lille cedex, France. Tel.: +33-3-20-44-46-39; fax: +33-3-20-44-44-07
guillem.philippe{at}wanadoo.fr

Etilefrine, a sympathomimetic drug, was used 11 times in 10 patients with thoracic or abdominal chyle leak occurring after thoracic surgical procedures. It was given as a 4.2–5 mg/h intravenous infusion. During the 11 etilefrine administrations, three patients had total parenteral nutrition, three had enteral nutrition, three had oral fat-free diet and medium-chain triglyceride supplementation, and two were fed orally without restriction. Daily chyle flow output decreased in all but one patient who was reoperated. Chyle flow output did not decrease relevantly in one patient who was reoperated. Chylothorax recurred after reoperation and etilefrine then induced significant output decrease. In another patient, etilefrine was stopped despite significant output reduction because of interactions with other sympathomimetic drugs used for heart failure. The mean etilefrine treatment duration was 6.4 days (range 4–7). The mean daily output was from 740 ml before etilefrine infusion to 183 ml on the seventh day of etilefrine use. By inducing contraction of the smooth muscle fibres present in the wall of the main thoracic chyle ducts, etilefrine can be considered as a useful adjunct in the management of post-operative chyle leak.

Key Words: Thoracic surgery; Oesophagectomy; Chylothorax; Chyloperitoneum; Conservative treatment

This article has been cited by other articles:

				S. I. Sersar Lymphangiomatosis Possibly With Gorham's Disease and Not Lymphangioma Ann. Thorac. Surg., March 1, 2005; 79(3): 1099 - 1099. [Full Text] [PDF]