Effects of Early Enteral Nutrition On Postoperative Complications After Gastrointestinal Anastomosis

Ali Uzunkoy, Prof Dr. Harran University School of Medicine Departyment of General Surgery

Background: The patient’s nutritional status is one of the most important factors for postoperative complications. Morbidity and mortality is increased in the cases with poor nutritional status. Recently, there are some reports about the benefits of early enteral nutrition. However, there is some debate about early enteral nutrition for the patients with gastrointestinal anastomosis. In this study, it was aimed that the effects of early enteral nutrition on postoperative surgical complications in the patients with gastrointestinal anastomosis.
Patients and methods: Forty-eight cases that underwent colonic anastomosis were prospectively randomized into two groups. In the group one (the group of early enteral nutrition), oral feeding was started at the 24th hours after operation. In the second group, oral feeding was started after bowel movement or passage of flatus. Nutritional status, appropriate dietary regimen, tolerance of enteral nutrition, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, postoperative ileus, postoperative complications, and hospitalization time and satisfactory of patients were evaluated.
Results: Three cases could not tolerate early postoperative feeding. However there was no difference about the tolerance of early enteral nutrition, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and postoperative ileus between the groups (p>0.05). In the early enteral nutrition group, bowel movement returned early (p<0.05). Surgical site infection was significantly lower in the early enteral nutrition group (p<0.05). Hospitalization time was shorter in the early enteral nutrition group (p<0.05).
Conclusion: Postoperative early enteral nutrition in the patients with gastrointestinal anastomosis is well tolerated after elective surgery. Also, it has some advantages in certain situations such as preventing surgical site infections, returning early bowel function and shorter hospitalization time.
 

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