Evaluating the Use of Octreotide for Acquired Chylothorax in Pediatric Critically Ill Patients Following Cardiac Surgery.

Objectives: To evaluate the impact of octreotide on time to resolution of chylothorax compared with conventional therapy. Secondary outcomes include the following: time to reduction of chest tube output by 20%, additional surgeries for chylothorax, hospital length of stay, in-hospital mortality, and adverse drug reactions.

Methods: We retrospectively evaluated the efficacy of octreotide vs conventional therapy for treatment postoperative chylothorax in pediatric patients in the cardiac ICU following surgery for congenital heart disease between October 2008 and June 2017.