Comparing Postoperative Feeding Strategies in Elective Cholecystectomy Patients Under General Anesthesia: A...

Area of Science:

• Surgical recovery protocols
• Postoperative care optimization
• Patient-centered nutrition

Background:

• Early oral feeding is key to enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS).
• Ensuring safety and patient satisfaction during the transition to oral intake is critical.
• Current practices often involve predetermined feeding schedules, which may not align with individual patient readiness.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the efficacy of on-demand versus predetermined timing for initial postoperative oral feeding.
• To assess the impact on postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) and patient satisfaction.
• To evaluate the safety and feasibility of patient-requested early oral intake after elective cholecystectomy.

Main Methods:

• A prospective, randomized, outcome assessor-blind controlled study involving 120 patients undergoing elective cholecystectomy.
• Patients were divided into two groups: On-Demand (Group OD) receiving coconut water upon request, and Predetermined-Time (Group OT) receiving it at 4 hours post-surgery.
• Outcomes assessed included time to initial oral intake, incidence of PONV, and patient satisfaction.

Main Results:

• No significant difference in the incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) between the On-Demand group (21.7%) and the Predetermined-Time group (25%).
• A majority of patients in both groups desired oral intake within 2 hours post-surgery.
• Overall patient satisfaction was significantly higher in the On-Demand group compared to the Predetermined-Time group (p < 0.001).

Conclusions:

• Allowing postoperative oral feeding upon patient request enhances satisfaction.
• Patient-requested feeding does not compromise safety, as evidenced by similar PONV rates.
• This approach represents a safe and preferred alternative to fixed-schedule feeding protocols in the context of enhanced recovery after surgery.