Early oral feeding following removal of nasogastric tube in gastrointestinal operations. A randomized prospective study
A. Bickel, B. Shtamler and S. Mizrahi
Department of General Surgery, Regional Hospital of the Western Galilee, Nahariya, Israel.
A study was conducted over a 23-month period to determine the possibility
of early postoperative oral feeding after removal of a nasogastric tube in
patients undergoing gastrointestinal operations. One hundred seventy-one
patients were prospectively randomized into two groups. The first group
began liquid oral intake 4 hours after removal of the tube. The second
group began an ordinary solid intake soon after nasogastric tube removal.
The criterion to remove the tube was based on normal bowel sounds heard by
at least two senior surgeons. There was no significant difference between
both groups concerning the occurrence of gastrointestinal disturbances
following tube removal. Most of the disorders were observed after lower
intestinal tract operations. Nine patients in the first group and seven
patients in the second group required reinsertion of a nasogastric tube. We
suggest that early solid intake immediately after nasogastric tube removal
can safely be used in gastrointestinal operations.
