title: Clinical experience of feeding through a needle catheter jejunostomy after major abdominal operations.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To report our incidence of local and systemic complications after needle-catheter jejunostomy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective analysis.
  
  
  METHODS
  University hospital, Switzerland.
  
  
  RESULTS
  100 patients (70 men and 30 women; mean age 65 years, range 42-90) had needle-catheter jejunostomy for postoperative enteral feeding. 26 developed catheter-related and 18 nutrition-related complications. Most of the complications were minor (lumenal obstruction of the catheter or local cellulitis) and only 3 patients needed reoperation, 2 because the catheter broke with extravasation of the nutrition formula into the subcutaneous tissue, and the other because of a small bowel obstruction. There was no small bowel necrosis and no patient died as a direct result of the jejunostomy. Overall, 92 patients were fed enterally according to the protocol, and 8 required removal of the catheter.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Needle-catheter jejunostomy gives a safe and effective access for postoperative enteral feeding. Minor technical complications are common and can be reduced by a meticulous insertion technique and careful postoperative management. Regular clinical surveillance may reduce the incidence of nutrition-related complications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Visceral and Transplantation Surgery, University of Bern, Inselspital, Switzerland.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: De Gottardi
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Krähenbühl
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Farhadi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gernhardt
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schäfer
authors.forename: M W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Büchler
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004750:Enteral Nutrition / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007582:Jejunostomy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011182:Postoperative Care; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013514:Surgical Procedures, Operative