Postoperative Chylothorax: Is Octreotide A Valid Therapy?

Chylothorax is an extremely rare and serious complication of cardiac surgery, with a poor outcome unless treated at the right time and in the right way. We report a case of a 76-year-old female who developed chylothorax after coronary artery bypass grafting. The chylothorax was successfully treated in 7 days by octreotide administration and medium-chain triglycerides enriched diet. Octreotide, a long-acting somatostatin analogue, is an effective, valid and safe drug for the treatment of postoperative chylothorax and may highly reduce the need for reoperation.