Evaluation on the efficacy of post-op early enteral nutrition in rectal cancer patients

Abstract

Patients and methods: 60 rectal cancer patients who had been gone through the rectum amputation surgery (Miles or Hartmann procedure) were randomized into 2 groups: post-op early enteral nutrition or post-op parenteral nutrition. Result: good tolerance rate was 83.3%. Gas passing time of the early enteral nutrition group was shorter than the remaining (2.4 days vs 3.1 days), so were the hospitalization stay (12.9 days vs 14.8 days) and hospitalization cost (220,000 VND/day vs 366,000 VND/day). Conclusions: post-op early enteral nutrition in rectal cancer patients is safe, efficacy, and economic in comparision to conventional parenteral infusion.