Incidence and Treatment of Chylothorax in Children Undergoing Corrective Surgery for Congenital Heart Diseases

INTRODUCTION: Chylothorax is a lymphatic extravasation into pleural cavity and its incidence is 0.25%-5.3% in children undergoing cardiac surgery. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the incidence of chylothorax in pediatrics patients operated, linking it in each surgical intervention. Evaluate treatment types and efficiency. METHODS: Retrospective study using medical records of children undergoing cardiac surgery in the Hospital do Coração between 2004 and 2014. For statistical analysis, qualitative variables by absolute frequency and relative frequency; quantitative variables, by median of 25 and 75 percentiles, as they did not present normal distribution (Shapiro-Wilk, P<0.05). The Chi-square test was used for the association between type of treatment and result. The adopted confidence level was 95%. RESULTS: Incidence of chylothorax was 2.1% (0.9% in intracardiac surgery, 1.7% correction of patent ductus arteriosus and aortic coarctation, 8.3% Glenn's surgery, 11.8% total cavopulmonary surgery and 3% in others). Among treatments, fasting associated with total parenteral nutrition (TPN) resolved 51% of the cases. Hypoglossal diet had failed treatment and surgical referral in 22% of the cases. Fasting with TPN associated with octreotide had success in the treatment of chylothorax in a period exceeding 15 days in 78% of cases, and 3.7% were referred for surgery. CONCLUSION: According to the results, incidence of chylothorax was 2.18%. Treatment with fasting and TPN leads to resolutions in 86.5%, and the association with octreotide was successful in 85.1% of cases, showing an efficient option, while the treatment with hypoglossal diet had therapeutic failure in 22% of the cases in which it was used.