Dietary treatment of congenital chylothorax with skimmed breast milk

Abstract

The first-line therapy of chylothorax is a combination of respiratory stabilization and dietary modification. The use of skimmed breast milk is advisable in CC and feasible by means of a simple milk defatting procedure. It offers benefits to mothers who wish to resume breast feeding after resolution of chylothorax and has proven positive effects, above all in preterm infants as optimal nutrition with protective components superior to formula feeding. However, the nutritional analysis of the skimmed milk and the correlation to a re-accumulation of pleural fluid remains a question to be answered.