title: Early enteral nutrition after total gastrectomy for gastric cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the difference between early enteral nutrition (EEN group) and total parenteral nutrition (TPN group) after total gastrectomy for gastric cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  The nutrition index, liver function, patient generated subjective global assessment (PG-SGA) score, the post-operation complications, the hospital stay and hospitalization expense of the postoperative patient after total gastrectomy, admitted to our Department of Surgery from May 2011 to May 2013 were analyzed retrospectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 72 patients including 37 cases in the EEN group and 35 cases in the TPN group were recruited. Hypoalbuminemia gradually improved in the EEN group about 3-5 days, but it did not increase until average 21 days in the TPN group. The body weight decreased in the EEN group during the first 2 weeks and recovered gradually in 21 days; body weight in the TPN group was significantly lower than the EEN group at 21 days (p<0.05). There were significant differences in both the groups (p<0.05) in nutrition indicators. The incidence of complications in the EEN group and TPN group were 8.1% and 25.7% respectively, with no significant differences (p>0.05). The days of hospital stays in the EEN and in the TPN group were up to 12.2 ± 2.5 d vs 14.9 ± 2.9 d (p<0.05) and the hospitalization expenses were 36472 ± 4833 CNY vs 40140 ± 3927 CNY (p<0.05), respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Compared with TPN, EEN was safe and well tolerated and can shorten the hospital stay as well as reduce costs incurred with total gastrectomy for gastric cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, No 1 Hospital, Anhui Medical University, 208 Meishan Road, Hefei, Anhui Province, China. chenwei366@126.com.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Zheng
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Maoming
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Xiong
authors.forename: Xiangling
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Meng
authors.forename: Fen
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Dai
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fang
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wan
authors.forename: Miaofeng
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D001798:Blood Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D004750:Enteral Nutrition / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005743:Gastrectomy; D006304:Health Status; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000191:economics; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D009752:Nutritional Status; D010289:Parenteral Nutrition, Total; D011182:Postoperative Care; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012709:Serum Albumin / Q000032:analysis; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D013997:Time Factors; D015431:Weight Loss
chemical_list: D001798:Blood Proteins; D012709:Serum Albumin