[Early oral feeding does not pose a risk after upper gastrointestinal surgeries]

Introduction: Assessing the nutritional and physical status of patients with malignant diseases, is an essential element in their prehabilitation and rehabilitation. Initiating early oral feeding is an important part of the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocol. However, there is a lack of data regarding the application of this feeding method after upper gastrointestinal tract surgeries. Objective: To demonstrate that early oral feeding has no disadvantages in this patient population, we compared the data of patients treated by early oral feeding method between January 2020 and July 2022 at the Department of Surgery, University of Pécs, through a propensity score-matching study, with data of patients treated by the traditional method. Method: In our study, we included patients who underwent surgery due to upper gastrointestinal tumors with an esophageal anastomosis (total gastrectomies and esophageal resections). The study included 50 patients, 25 patients in the early oral feeding group and 25 patients in the traditional oral feeding group, with similar characteristics. Results: Oral feeding in the early group was started 2.09 days, while in the traditional group 5.52 days after surgery on an average. The average length of hospital stay was 8.875 days in the early oral feeding group, compared to 12.161 days in the traditional oral feeding group (p<0.05). However, no significant differences were observed in the mortality rate and anastomosis-related complications. Discussion: We found that the early oral feeding group had a statistically significant reduction in the time until the return of bowel movements, the length of hospital stay, and the duration of postoperative parenteral nutrition. Conclusion: It can be concluded that the application of early oral feeding is safe and feasible after upper gastrointestinal tract surgeries Orv Hetil. 2024; 165(1): 24–29.