대한대장항문학회

Purpose : The routine use of postoperative nasogastric decompression after abdominal<br>surgery has been challenged. Furthermore, investigators have recently shown that early<br>postoperative oral feeding is safe and generally well tolerated. This study was aimed to<br>determine whether or not early postoperative feeding is safe after elective colorectal surgery.<br>Methods : All patients who underwent elective colorectal surgeries between June 1998 and<br>March 1999 were permitted to take oral intake one day after the operations. The patients<br>were compared with other patients, who had underwent elective colorectal surgeries between<br>September 1997 and June 1998 and permitted to have a meal after resolving postoperative<br>ileus. The nasogastric tube was removed from all patients immediately after surgery. The<br>patients were monitored for the time of ileus resolution, nausea/vomiting, abdominal<br>distension, nasogastric tube reinsertion and complications. Results : Fifty-one patients were<br>studied, 24 patients in early feeding group and 27 patients in traditional feeding group.<br>Eighteen patients (75.0%) in the early feeding group tolerated the early oral intake. There<br>were no significant differences between two groups in the time for resolution of ileus (3.46<br>1.38 days vs 3.56 1.80 days), nausea/vomiting (33.3% vs 29.6%), abdominal distension<br>(16.6% vs 14.8%) and nasogastric tube reinsertion (12.5% vs 7.4%). No significant difference<br>was noted in complications such as wound infection, pulmonary problems, intestinal<br>obstruction and anastomotic leak. Conclusions : Early oral intake after elective colorectal<br>surgery was safe and most of the patients tolerated it. And it may become a kind of<br>managements after elective colorectal surgery.<br>