[Background] Within the field of gastrointestinal surgery, pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) is a highly invasive procedure. However, the clinical implications of postoperative tube feeding remain to be elucidated. In this study, we investigated the impact of enteral nutrition (EN) on the nutritional status of patients following PD.
[Materials and Methods] We conducted a retrospective analysis of 129 patients who underwent PD at our medical facility. Nutritional intake and status, assessed using the Controlling Nutritional Status score, were compared between two groups: an EN group (97 patients) and a non-EN group (32 patients).
[Results] No significant differences were found between the two groups in age, sex, body mass index, underlying diseases, surgical duration, blood loss, postoperative pancreatic fistula, postoperative complications, delayed gastric emptying, or length of postoperative hospital stay.The EN group had improved nutritional status at discharge; however, this was not significant. Furthermore, the EN group had improved nutritional status post-surgery compared to the pre-surgery; however, there was no significant difference.Oral calorie intake was significantly higher in the non-EN group (p = 0.01). On the other hand, total energy intake was higher in the EN group; however, there was no significant difference (p = 0.07).
[Discussion] We found that tube feeding after PD does not significantly affect postoperative nutritional status or overall nutritional intake. Our findings suggest that EN does not offer a clear advantage over other approaches; however, further studies are required to support our findings, refine current guidelines, and optimize patient outcomes.
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