Actively Recruiting
Post-operative Medium Chain Triglyceride Diet May Reduce Hospital Stay Following Lung Resection
Led by Chinese University of Hong Kong · Updated on 2026-03-20
210
Participants Needed
1
Research Sites
75 weeks
Total Duration
On this page
AI-Summary
What this Trial Is About
Lung resection, a critical treatment for various thoracic diseases, including lung cancer, often necessitates prolonged hospitalization due to rare but severe postoperative complications such as chyle leaks, with an occurrence of 0.25%-3%, prolonging chest drainage, and delaying recovery. Therefore, effective postoperative care is essential for optimizing outcomes, reducing complications, and expediting recovery. Recent studies have highlighted the significant potential of medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) diets, owing to their unique absorption pathway and metabolic properties. MCT contains mainly medium-chain fatty acids (MCFA), which is absorbed in the intestine and transported to the liver via the portal system instead of the lymphatic system. This helps to bypass the lymphatic system, thereby reducing the volume of lymph. MCFAs also provide better energy utilization in stressed condition since it does not require carnitine shuttle upon metabolism, which is beneficial to post-operation recovery. Several studies have demonstrated the benefits of MCT diets in managing chyle leaks and supporting gastrointestinal recovery, particularly in conditions that strain the lymphatic system. For instance, short-term MCT-enriched diets have been associated with improved post-operation recovery of gastrointestinal, hepatic and renal functions, reduced total chest drainage volumes, and shorter hospital stay when compared to regular diet groups. Patients with post-operative chyle leak following thoracic surgery are often given an MCT diet to reduce chest drain volume and hence shorten hospital stay. Based on the successful use of MCT diet on patients with chyle leak after lobectomy, it is hypothesized that patients with chylothorax provided with post-operative MCT diet can also shorten hospital stay by decreasing chest drainage. Therefore, a prospective and randomized trial is designed to investigate how post-operative MCT diet in lung resection patients without chylothorax may affect hospital stay and post-operative recovery.
CONDITIONS
Official Title
Post-operative Medium Chain Triglyceride Diet May Reduce Hospital Stay Following Lung Resection
Who Can Participate
Eligibility Criteria
You may qualify if you...
- Age between 18 and 80 years
- Body mass index less than 35 kg/m2
- Suitable for minimally invasive surgery
- Willingness to participate and provide informed consent
- Patients who have had lobectomy with lymph node dissection
You will not qualify if you...
- Contraindication to general anesthesia
- Severe illness that shortens life expectancy or increases surgery risk
- Untreated active infection
- Non-correctable bleeding problems
- Emergency surgery
- Vulnerable populations (e.g., mentally disabled, pregnant)
- Segmentectomy
- Pleurodesis procedure
- Esophageal surgery
- Repeat or readmitted lung resection patients
- Chylothorax (triglyceride over 110 mL on day 1 lab check)
- Air leak over 30 mL/min upon return to ward
- Heart failure
- Renal failure (estimated GFR below 30; chronic kidney disease stage 4-5)
- Moderate to severe adhesions as assessed by surgeon
- History of tuberculosis or empyema
AI-Screening
AI-Powered Screening
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Trial Site Locations
Total: 1 location
1
Prince of Wales Hospital
Shatin, Hong Kong
Actively Recruiting
Research Team
C
Calvin Sze Hang Ng
CONTACT
How is the study designed?
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Masking
NONE
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Model
PARALLEL
Primary Purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Number of Arms
3
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