Effect of early oral feeding on short-term outcome of patients receiving laparoscopic distal gastrectomy: a retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND

To evaluate the effect of early oral feeding on postoperative short-term outcome of gastric cancer patients receiving laparoscopic distal gastrectomy.

METHODS

From Oct 1, 2011 to Mar 1, 2013, 84 consecutive patients with gastric cancer were involved in this retrospective study. Patients received either early oral feeding (early feeding group) or not (control group) after laparoscopic distal gastrectomy. Details concerning the postoperative outcomes and the quality of life questionnaires were collected and compared.

RESULTS

Totally 40 patients were involved in the early feeding group and 44 in the control group. Demographic data were comparable in both groups. The duration of hospital stay (6.28 ± 1.26 VS 7.69 ± 1.53, P = 0.048) and time until flatus (2.06 ± 1.47 VS 3.56 ± 1.04, P = 0.044) in early feeding group were significantly less than that in control group. Furthermore, the score of fatigue scale in early feeding group on the seventh postoperative day was significantly less than that in control group (33.9 ± 12.1 VS 45.1 ± 10.7, P = 0.041).

CONCLUSIONS

Early oral feeding could lead to a significant improvement of the short-term benefits for patients receiving laparoscopic distal gastrectomy.