Early Oral Feeding in Pediatric Intestinal Anastomosis

A prospective nonrandomized study of 31 children aged <16 years over a period of 14 months was conducted to evaluate the effects of early oral feeding (EOF) in children with intestinal anastomosis. Patients undergoing elective or emergency intestinal anastomosis below the ligament of Trietz with no contamination were included while contaminated cases and neonatal atresias were excluded. First feed was the direct oral feed started within 24 h, usually the morning after surgery. Liquid feeds were started initially and increased at 4 hourly increments to appropriate feed for age. Time to full feeds was recorded. Patients were monitored for vomiting, abdominal distension, and signs of leak. Time to first stool and length of hospital stay were recorded. Median age of patient was 12 months. Mean time to first feed was 16 h, and mean time to full feeds was 36 h. Four of the 31 patients had delayed tolerance to feed, either due to vomiting or distension, which was transient and resolved spontaneously in three patients and due to prolonged ileus in the fourth patient. None of the patients had leaks. Most of the patients were discharged by postoperative day 3 (83 %). Early enteral feeding in pediatric intestinal anastomosis can be safely started without looking for traditional markers of return of bowel activity. It lowers hospital stay with no adverse effects. Generalization of this concept to selected emergency and neonatal surgeries can be considered, but needs further randomized control trial to validate.