PROGRAM OF INTESTINAL REHABILITATION AND EARLY POSTOPERATIVE ENTERAL NUTRITION: A PROSPECTIVE COHORT STUDY

BACKGROUND: Some factors can act on nutritional status of patients operated for a gastrointestinal cancer. A timely and appropriate nutritional intervention could have a positive effect on postoperative outcomes. AIM: To determine the effect of a program of intestinal rehabilitation and early postoperative enteral nutrition on complications and clinical outcomes of patients underwent gastrointestinal surgery for cancer. METHODS: This is a prospective study of 465 patients underwent gastrointestinal surgery for cancer consecutively admitted in an oncological intensive care unit. The program of intestinal rehabilitation and early postoperative enteral nutrition consisted in: 1) general rules, and 2) gastrointestinal rules. RESULTS: The mean age of analysed patients was 63.7±9.1 years. The most frequent operation sites were colon-rectum (44.9%), gynaecological with intestinal suture (15.7%) and oesophagus-gastric (11.0%). Emergency intervention was performed in 12.7% of patients. The program of intestinal rehabilitation and early postoperative enteral nutrition reduced major complication (19.2% vs. 10.2%; p=0.030), respiratory complications (p=0.040), delirium (p=0.032), infectious complications (p=0.047) and gastrointestinal complications (p<0.001), mainly anastomotic leakage (p=0.033). The oncological intensive care unit mortality (p=0.018), length of oncological intensive care unit (p<0.001) and hospital (p<0.001) stay were reduced as well. CONCLUSIONS: Implementing a program of intestinal rehabilitation and early postoperative enteral nutrition is associated with reduction in postoperative complications and improvement of clinical outcomes in patients undergoing gastrointestinal surgery for cancer.