Effect of oral nutritional intervention on recovery in patients with chyle leak after thyroid cancer surgery: A retrospective study

Postoperative chyle leak after thyroid cancer surgery is a serious complication that can lead to electrolyte disturbance, malnutrition, and prolonged hospitalization. Although low-fat diet is recommended, the effects of different low-fat dietary approaches remain unclear. We compared a hospital-formulated oral nutritional meal with a self-controlled oral diet in patients with postoperative chyle leak to assess effects on recovery speed, economic burden, and electrolyte balance. This retrospective study included 87 patients diagnosed with thyroid cancer who presented with chyle leak between January and August 2022. Differences between nutritional meals and self-controlled diets were evaluated in terms of hospitalization days, postoperative expenses, drainage volume, and changes in blood sodium concentration. Patients in the nutritional meal group had significantly fewer days of postoperative hospitalization than those in the self-controlled diet group (9, 8-11 vs 11, 9-13 P < .05), with a significantly lower average cost of treatment (1.16, 0.99-1.45 vs 1.37, 1.16-1.81 P < .05). Maximum 24-hour drainage volume shows no significant between-group difference (232.7 ± 91.7 vs 239.0 ± 103.1 mL, P = .76), and the incidence of hyponatremia was similar (9.8% vs 6.5%, P = .12). Oral nutritional meals have clear advantages in promoting recovery and reducing hospitalization costs in patients with postoperative chyle leak after thyroid cancer surgery, suggesting that nutritional support should be strengthened in clinical practice to improve patient outcomes.