EVALUATION OF EARLY POSTOPERATIVE FEEDING VS. TRADITIONAL FEEDING AFTER ABDOMINAL SURGERY
Main Article Content
Keywords
Early feeding, postoperative nutrition, abdominal surgery, enhanced recovery, traditional feeding
Abstract
Background: Traditional postoperative feeding protocols after abdominal surgery involve prolonged fasting until bowel function recovery, while early feeding approaches challenge this paradigm. This study evaluated the safety and efficacy of early postoperative feeding compared to traditional feeding protocols in patients undergoing abdominal surgery.
Methods: A prospective randomized controlled trial was conducted at NIMS Jaipur from July to December 2012. One hundred twenty patients undergoing elective abdominal surgery were randomly allocated to early feeding (n=60) or traditional feeding groups (n=60). Early feeding commenced within 6-8 hours postoperatively, while traditional feeding began after bowel sounds returned. Primary outcomes included postoperative complications, hospital stay duration, and recovery parameters. Secondary outcomes assessed nutritional status, patient satisfaction, and healthcare costs.
Results: The early feeding group demonstrated significantly lower overall complications (13.3% vs. 30.0%, p=0.032), reduced hospital stay (4.2±1.8 vs. 6.8±2.4 days, p<0.001), and faster recovery of gastrointestinal function. Time to first bowel movement was shorter (18.6±8.4 vs. 32.4±12.6 hours, p<0.001), with reduced incidence of ileus (3.3% vs. 13.3%, p=0.049) and nausea/vomiting (20.0% vs. 36.7%, p=0.046). Laboratory parameters showed better maintenance of nutritional status, with higher albumin levels (3.8±0.3 vs. 3.4±0.4 g/dl, p<0.001) on postoperative day 7. Patient satisfaction scores were significantly higher (8.4±1.2 vs. 6.8±1.6, p<0.001), and healthcare costs were reduced by 33%.
Conclusion: Early postoperative feeding is safe and superior to traditional feeding protocols, resulting in reduced complications, shorter hospital stays, better nutritional status, and improved patient satisfaction. These findings support implementing early feeding as standard postoperative care in abdominal surgery.
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Dr. Birendra Kumar
Associate Professor, Department of General Surgery, National Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS), Jaipur, Rajasthan