[Surgical jejunostomy as a route for enteral nutrition]

Ostomies are the nutritional route of choice when artificial nutrition could be necessary during more than thirty days. The surgical jejunostomy (SJ) is especially indicated in the patient undergoing major surgery of the digestive tract and the complications thereof. The present retrospective revision includes 57 cases of SJ followed during more than five days. The patients needed surgical treatment in nearly 80%. For the SJ the Witzel technique was used, with 18 Fr or more catheters. The mixes used were polymeric, in a closed circuit. The patients were a mean 60 +/- 13 years of age and 68.4% were male. They presented a medium level of undernourishment, with a 13% weight loss and a mean albumin level of 30.6 +/- 6.8 g/1000 cc. The Index of Nutritional Risk on average was 71.7 (normal 100). Complications appeared in 9/57 cases (15.7%), with the jejunostomy beginning to be used on average 2.3 +/- 2.4 days after surgery. Some form of support previous to the SJ was necessary in 31/57 patients, and 37/57 had another nutritional route in addition to the jejunostomy during an average of 8.9 +/- 11.1 days. In 49/57 patients (85.9%), 75% of the estimated calories were obtained in an average of 6.4 +/- 4.0 days, and in 42/57 patients (73.6%), 100% of the calories were obtained in an average of 8.6 +/- 3.0 days. Intolerance to the artificial nutrition occurred in 29/57 cases (50.8%), with diarrhoea being the most frequent in 16/57 (28.0%). The jejunostomy lasted for a mean of 28.4 +/- 43.0 days.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)