Evaluation of the safety of early oral feeding in patients undergoing roux-en y reconstruction after distal gastrectomy for gastric cancer

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety of early oral feeding in patients after distal gastrectomy for gastric cancer. Since 2005, we introduced early oral feeding clinical path in 66 patients undergoing Roux -en Y reconstruction after distal gastrectomy for gastric cancer. They were scheduled to remove nasogastric tubes immediately after surgery ; to start drinking in the morning of the 1^st postoperative day ; to start thin rice gruel from the morning of the 2^nd or 3^rd day. As a result, all patients were able to remove nasogastric tubes and to start drinking, 3 patients were not able to start oral intake because of abdominal distention (n=2) or anastomotic hemorrhage (1), 8 patients stopped eating because of rest stomach dilatation (3), abdominal distention (2) or fever (3). Namely, 55 patients (83.3%) were able to follow the early oral feeding clinical path schedule perfectly. The incidence of complications including nausea, vomiting, abdominal distention (10), fever (5), anastomotic leak (0), pneumonia (1), ileus (4) was low. Postoperative early oral feeding can be carried out safely on patients after distal gastrectomy.