title: Early enteral nutrition in gastrointestinal surgery: a pilot study.
abstract: There is still some concern about the safety of early enteral nutrition (EN) to patients with recent anastomoses. A pilot trial was carried out on a prospective basis to evaluate the tolerance and clinical outcome of 56 patients who received early EN following gastrointestinal (GI) surgery. A continuous infusion of an elemental, peptide-based diet was administered using a nasointestinal feeding tube placed beyond the pylorus by the operating surgeon. Tube feeds were started at 6.07 +/- 4.99 h after surgery and advanced as tolerated to a rate of 60 mL/h on the third postoperative day. Patients received the diet either proximal or distal (in the case of gastrectomies) to their recent anastomosis. Forty-six patients met the inclusion criteria and were included in the analysis. EN was well tolerated with a low incidence of side effects (19.5%), nausea and vomiting being the most frequent. Oral feeding was started 2.89 +/- 1.28 d after surgery. There was one case of small bowel suture leakage, but no relationship to the tube feeding was established. Early EN appears to be a useful and safe therapeutic alternative for the postoperative management of patients undergoing GI surgery. It may contribute to faster recovery of bowel function and lead to a shorter hospital stay. Careful selection of patients is necessary in order to obtain the greatest benefit of early enteral feeding in this patient population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Instituto de Ciencias de la Salud CES, Medellin, Colombia. josev@epm.net.co
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Velez
authors.forename: L F
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Lince
authors.forename: J I
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Restrepo
mesh_terms: D000714:Anastomosis, Surgical; D013505:Digestive System Surgical Procedures; D004750:Enteral Nutrition / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D009325:Nausea / Q000209:etiology; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011182:Postoperative Care; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012449:Safety; D013997:Time Factors; D014839:Vomiting / Q000209:etiology