[Effect of early enteral nutrition on immune function of the patients after operation for severe abdominal trauma]

Area of Science:

• Immunology
• Surgical Nutrition
• Critical Care Medicine

Background:

• Severe abdominal trauma necessitates careful nutritional support to optimize patient recovery.
• Postoperative immune dysfunction is a significant concern, increasing the risk of complications.
• Enteral nutrition (EN) is often preferred over parenteral nutrition (PN) when feasible.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of early enteral nutrition (EN) on the immune status of patients following surgery for severe abdominal trauma.
• To compare the incidence of infectious complications between early EN and PN groups.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled trial involving 40 patients with severe abdominal trauma.
• Patients were assigned to receive either early EN via jejunal tube (n=20) or PN (n=20) for 7 days, starting on postoperative day 1.
• Immune markers (C3, IgA, IgM, IgG, CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, CD4+/CD8+) and infection complications were assessed.

Main Results:

• The EN group showed significant increases in C3, IgA, IgG, CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, and CD4+/CD8+ compared to the PN group after 7 days (P<0.05).
• The incidence of postoperative infection was markedly lower in the EN group (10%) compared to the PN group (30%) (P<0.05).

Conclusions:

• Early enteral nutrition is effective in enhancing immune function in patients post-severe abdominal trauma surgery.
• Implementing early EN can lead to a significant reduction in postoperative infection rates.