Chylothorax in children and infants

Lead investigator 

Dr Peter Davis 
Consultant Paediatric Intensivist
c/o Paediatric Intensive Care Unit, Level 4
Bristol Royal Hospital for Children
Upper Maudlin Street
Bristol
BS2 8BJ

Email: Dr Peter Davis

Email: Ms Caroline Haines

Overview

• A chylothorax develops when chyle, normally transported in lymph vessels throughout the body, builds up around the lungs and exerts pressure on them, making it difficult to breath.
• Initial treatment usually requires drainage of the chyle by inserting a chest tube placed into the pleural space around the lungs.
• Although the development of a chylothorax is relatively uncommon, it does result in significant risks and complications for particular groups of infants and children.
• Hospital stay can be extended by weeks; there is the risk of a surgical procedure, an increased risk of infection and the potential for a substantial impact on both the child and their family’s quality of life.
• Almost all previous research into chylothorax has been retrospective, and based in single centres.
• Very little is known about the situation in the UK or Ireland, either the number of children affected, the severity of the condition, how the children are treated or their long-term outcome.
• Until we better understand the scale and nature of the problem, we will continue to be hampered in determining targets for prevention, how best to treat these infants and children and ultimately improve outcome.           

Duration: 1 June 2010 – 30 June 2011           

Funding: Non-Medical Research Grant – UHBristol NHS Foundation Trust. Variety Club Children’s Charity, London.   

Ethical approval: Approval from  by the Institute of Child Health / Great Ormond Street Hospital REC (Ref:10/H0713/27) and has been granted ECC for Section 251 Support (ECC/BPSU 3-02(FTI)

Further Information

• Study Protocol (PDF, 132KB, 2 pages)
• Questionnaire (PDF, 393KB, 5 pages)
• Public Information Leaflet (PDF, 310KB, 2 pages)