Octreotide's role in the management of post-esophagectomy chylothorax

The use of octreotide in managing intrathoracic chyle leak following esophagectomy has gained popularity in the adult population. While the benefits of octreotide have been confirmed in the pediatric population, there remains limited evidence to support its use in the adults post-esophagectomy. Thus, we performed a single-institution cohort study to characterize its efficacy. The study was performed using a prospective, single-center database, from which clinicopathologic characteristics were extracted of patients who had post-esophagectomy chyle leaks. Kaplan-Meier and multivariable Cox regression analyses were performed to investigate the effect of octreotide use on chest tube duration (CTD), hospital length of stay (LOS), and overall survival (OS). In our cohort, 74 patients met inclusion criteria, among whom 27 (36.5%) received octreotide. Kaplan-Meier revealed no significant effect of octreotide on CTD (P = 0.890), LOS (P = 0.740), or OS (P = 0.570). Multivariable Cox regression analyses further corroborated that octreotide had no effect on CTD (HR = 0.62, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.32-1.20, P = 0.155), LOS (HR = 0.64, CI: 0.34-1.21, P = 0.168), or OS (1.08, CI: 0.53-2.19, P = 0.833). Octreotide use in adult patients with chyle leak following esophagectomy lacks evidence of association with meaningful clinical outcomes. Level 1 evidence is needed prior to further consideration in this population.