Clinical Investigation

Effects of early oral feeding after major abdominal gynecological operations

  • Hakan Yetimalar
  • Atilla Köksal
  • Volkan Aksakallı
  • Burcu Kasap
  • Külal Çukurova

Turk J Obstet Gynecol 2010;7(1):40-44

AIM:

Our aim is to investigate the effects of expanded use of nasogastric decompression and delaying oral feeding until the sufficient levels of bowel movements come back and early oral feeding after major abdominal surgical operations.

MATERIALS-METHODS:

We studied 98 patients who underwent major abdominal surgical operations with different gynecological indications at İzmir Ataturk Training and Research Hospital between September 2004 and March 2005. They are randomized according to their identity numbers whether being single or double. The patients in the study group were given oral feeding within the postoperative 24 hours while the patients in the control group were applied nasogastric decompression and they were given oral feeding just after the gas passage and stool discharge. Two groups were compared by means of oral feeding toleration, appearance of symptoms of ileus, need of anelgesics, hospitalization duration and postoperative complications. For statistical analysis we used Chi-square and Fisher Exact Tests.

RESULTS:

Transition to normal oral feeding, hospitalization time are shorter and also the need for anelgesics were less at statistically significant levels in the study group in which we started early oral feeding in the postoperative period(p<0.05). We couldn’t find significant differences between two groups by means of standart parameters like appearance of ileus symptoms, lung infection, incision site infection, genitourinaty infection and thromboemboli formation.

DISCUSSION:

In our study, postoperative early oral feeding seems to be superior to traditional applications because of comfort of patients, return to normal physiology and economical acquisition by means of shorter duration for passage to normal oral feeding, shorter hospitalization duration and less need for anelgesic unless there are no significant differences in postoperative follow up standart parameters.

Keywords: early oral feeding, postoperative, gynecological operation