Tweet
I have an areteriovenous fistula in the lining of my brain. My neurosurgeon intends to use a catheter embolization procedure to repair it. The glue he intends to use is called Onyx. I am wondering how long I should wait before breastfeeding my two-year-old son following the embolization. My neurosurgeon said he could not find any data on breastfeeding and Onyx and, therefore, he recommends waiting 1-2 weeks to resume breastfeeding just to be safe.
-
-
Dear mch923,
Onyx HD 500 is comprised of 20 percent ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH) copolymer dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and suspended micronized tantalum powder. These drugs do not appear to be overtly toxic. There are no breastmilk studies on these compounds, but Dr. Hale thinks the DMSO would be the most likely to enter breastmilk in large amounts based on the kinetics of the drugs. The half-life of DMSO is 11 to 14 hours so waiting 24 hours would allow approximately 75 percent of the drug to be eliminated. If you would like to have all of the drug out of your system before breastfeeding, then waiting 3 days should be adequate. Also since your child is older, the amount of breastmilk he consumes is small and he can process drugs well by now, also reducing his risk. Wishing you a speedy recovery.
Sincerely,
Cindy Pride, MSN, CPNP
TTUHSC InfantRisk Center -
Onyx glue and breastfeeding
Hi Cindy,
I have had the same procedure done with onyx and was wondering the same thing. I see that you replied to the original poster that 3 days would be sufficient to wait until breastfeeding again but that was also in the case of a 2 year old. I am breastfeeding a 4 month old - my doctor told me to wait 1 week as well but didn't have any information on the risks of breastfeeding with onyx. What you recommend in my case? I am 3 days post op and am still bottle feeding and pumping/dumping, but we are quickly running out of frozen milk. Thanks for your help,
mama11Comment
-
Dear Mama11,
Waiting 6 half-lives should allow 100 percent of most drugs to be metabolized out of your system. In the case of DSMO, the longest half-live is 14 hours so waiting 96 hours (approximately 4 days) should be adequate. You may consult your physician also about his/her concerns.
Sincerely,
Cindy Pride, MSN, CPNP
TTUHSC InfantRisk CenterComment
Comment