Enteral nutrition in patients with tumours of the head and neck.
An evaluation is presented of the nutritional status of 30 patients out of the 45 submitted to head and neck surgery, involving the buccal cavity, in the Maxillofacial Surgery Service of the General Hospital "Gregorio Marañón" of Madrid, between October 1985 and December 1986, before and after being submitted to excision of a tumour in the head or neck, by administration, in the postoperative period, of a liquid comprehensive diet via a nasogastric catheter. Neither in the postoperative period nor after stopping the enteral nutrition was the existence of malnutrition detected, in any of the parameters studied. One patient inhaled gastric juice with a fatal outcome, while the rest of the patients had no severe complications. Therefore, we think that the administration of enteral nutrition in this kind of patient is very useful and is indeed necessary to avoid energy-protein malnutrition during the postoperative period. At the same time it avoids possible infection by food remaining in the oral cavity.
Navarro Vila
C
C
Dept. of Maxillofacial Surgery, Hospital General Gregoria Marañón, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain.
de la Mano
J S
JS
Garcia Peris
P
P
Acero Sanz
J
J
Barrios Robredo
J M
JM
Verdaguer Martin
J J
JJ
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001835:Body Weight; D004734:Energy Metabolism; D004750:Enteral Nutrition; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012709:Serum Albumin / Q000032:analysis; D012885:Skinfold Thickness; D014168:Transferrin / Q000032:analysis; D015431:Weight Loss
D012709:Serum Albumin; D014168:Transferrin