Role of immunoglobulin supplementation for secondary immunodeficiency associated with chylothorax after pediatric cardiothoracic surgery

To evaluate whether intravenous immunoglobulin was linked to a reduction in sepsis in patients with prolonged chylothoraces postpediatric cardiothoracic surgery. Retrospective observational cohort study. Tertiary pediatric cardiac surgical center. Children with chylothoraces postcardiothoracic surgery from 1998 to 2006 divided into two groups: with and without intravenous immunoglobulin supplementation. Intravenous immunoglobulin supplementation. Thirty-seven with chylothoraces (median duration 14 days; interquartile range, 10-32 and median maximum chyle drainage 1.9 mL/kg/hr; interquartile range, 1-3) were included, and 16 (43%) received intravenous immunoglobulin. The degree of lymphopenia was worse with longer duration of chylothorax (p = .005). There was a trend toward immunoglobulin depletion-IgG (p = .07) and IgM (p = .07) with higher volume chyle loss. Twenty-two of 37 (59%) developed bloodstream infection and 24 of 37 (65%) developed sepsis related to other organ systems. The rate of bloodstream infection and of sepsis in other organ systems was high at 25 (95% confidence interval 17-39) and 23 (95% confidence interval 15-34) episodes per 1,000 intensive care unit days, respectively. Intravenous immunoglobulin was not related to the bloodstream infection rate: adjusted hazard ratio 0.88 (95% confidence interval 0.20-3.94; p = .87) or rate of sepsis in other organ systems: hazard ratio 2.31 (95% confidence interval 0.21-24.29; p = .49) or the proportion surviving to hospital discharge (p = .37). Patients with prolonged, large-volume chyle loss had greater secondary immunodeficiency. Although the sample size was small and therefore able to detect only a large treatment effect from intravenous immunoglobulin, infectious outcomes were equal between the two groups.