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SUDDEN DEATH FOLLOWING THE INFUSION OF ASPIRATED CHYLE

BENJAMIN B. WHITCOMB, M.D.; WILLIAM BEECHER SCOVILLE, M.D.

Arch Surg. 1942;45(5):747-753.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

Within the year an excellent article on traumatic chylothorax appeared in this journal.¹ A cure was effected by the intravenous administration of the aspirated chyle. In contradistinction the present paper reports a case of postoperative chylothorax in which sudden death followed such intravenous administration of chyle. Our article further stresses: (1) the rarity of such a lesion; (2) the dangers of inadvertent section of the duct during sympathectomy operations for hypertension; (3) the precautions to be taken following such a mishap, and (4) the possible cause of such sudden death.

LITERATURE

This is the first case to be reported of inadvertent sectioning of the thoracic duct during the course of a sympathectomy operation. It is the second case to be reported of such sectioning during the course of any operation. Indeed, chylothorax from any trauma is a rare condition. Shackelford and Fisher² collected 43 authentic cases. Nowak and . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

Author Affiliations
Resident in Neurology and Neurosurgery; Neurosurgeon HARTFORD, CONN.

From Hartford Hospital.

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