title: One-day nasogastric tube decompression after distal gastrectomy: a prospective randomized study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Many surgeons in Japan use 1-day nasogastric tube (NGT) decompression after gastrectomy as a standard procedure. This prospective randomized study aimed to define whether 1-day NGT decompression is necessary after distal gastrectomy.
  
  
  METHODS
  The subjects were 233 patients with gastric cancer, randomized into two groups immediately after distal gastrectomy: one group received 1-day NGT decompression (NGT group, n = 119) and the other did not (no-NGT group, n = 114). The primary outcome measure was postoperative surgery-related and respiratory complications, whereas secondary measures were the postoperative course to recovery and patient complaints.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The incidence of surgery-related complications did not differ significantly between the NGT and no-NGT groups (21.0 and 19.2%, respectively; p = 0.87). The rate of respiratory complications was 6.7% in the NGT group and 7.0% in the no-NGT group (p > 0.99). The time to passage of first flatus and the postoperative hospital stay did not differ between the groups. Twenty-five patients in the NGT group and none in the no-NGT group complained of nasopharyngeal discomfort (p < 0.0001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Considering the physical discomfort caused by the NGT, we believe that routine 1-day NGT decompression is unnecessary after distal gastrectomy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Kindai University Faculty of Medicine, 377-2 Ohno-higashi, Osaka-Sayama, 589-8511, Japan. you-kimura@surg.med.kindai.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Yutaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kimura
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Kano General Hospital, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yano
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Toyonaka Municipal Hospital, Toyonaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Iwazawa
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Sakai City Medical Center, Sakai, Japan.
authors.forename: Junya
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fujita
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, NTT West Osaka Hospital, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Shoichiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fujita
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, NTT West Osaka Hospital, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazuyoshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Kindai University Faculty of Medicine, 377-2 Ohno-higashi, Osaka-Sayama, 589-8511, Japan.
authors.forename: Takushi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yasuda
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D005743:Gastrectomy; D006801:Humans; D007441:Intubation, Gastrointestinal / Q000009:adverse effects; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012120:Respiration Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: Distal gastrectomy; Nasogastric tube; Randomized trial