[Enteral feeding following resection of the colon]

14 male patients with cancer of the colon were enterally fed for 2 days preoperatively, on the day of the operation and 5 days postoperatively with a high-caloric oligopeptide diet without the additional enteral administration of calories. All the anastomoses (5 rectal and 5 sigmoid colon resections as well as 4 hemicolectomies ) healed without problems; no complications occurred . The nutrition was well tolerated without exception and the jejunal tube tolerated without discomfort. The short-lived function proteins fell during postoperative metabolism. However, the means for total protein, albumin, prealbumin, transferrin and the immunoglobulins (IgM, IgG, IgA und IgD) were still within the lower part of the normal range. Only retinol-binding protein fell to values up to 30% below normal.