[Essential diet in extensive cervico-facial surgery]

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Nutrition Science
• Gastroenterology

Background:

• Pharyngo-laryngectomy patients often require nutritional support due to swallowing difficulties.
• Pre-operative irradiation can exacerbate nutritional challenges in these patients.
• Evaluating optimal nutritional interventions is crucial for patient recovery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the efficacy of three different enteral diets in patients undergoing pharyngo-laryngectomy with pre-operative irradiation.
• To assess the impact of different nutritional strategies on biological parameters and clinical outcomes.
• To determine the most suitable and cost-effective nutritional method for post-surgical recovery.

Main Methods:

• A prospective study involving 26 patients undergoing pharyngo-laryngectomy and pre-operative irradiation.
• Comparison of three naso-gastric tube delivered diets: hospital blenderized diet, Flexical, and Flexical Control.
• Monitoring of biological parameters and clinical evolution throughout the study period.

Main Results:

• No significant difference was observed between the Flexical and Flexical Control diets.
• Both Flexical formulations demonstrated superior outcomes compared to the hospital blenderized diet.
• Biological parameters and clinical evolution favored the Flexical methods.

Conclusions:

• Controlled defined diets, such as Flexical, are recommended over traditional hospital blenderized diets for patients undergoing pharyngo-laryngectomy.
• Flexical offers a viable and effective nutritional solution compared to more complex methods like intravenous hyperalimentation.
• The findings support the widespread adoption of controlled defined enteral nutrition in this patient population.