ABSTRACT
Objective: To evaluate and compare the clinical value of early enteral nutrition (EEN) and total parenteral nutrition (TPN) af-ter esophageal cancer surgery. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 237 patients who underwent esophageal cancer surgery at Bei-jing Shijitan Hospital from March 2011 to March 2019. They were assigned into two groups based on the postoperative nutritional sup-port used: EEN (136 cases) and TPN (101 cases). Nutritional status, liver function, recovery of gastrointestinal function, days of hospital-ization, and postoperative complications were compared between the two groups after propensity score matching. Results: Using 1 :1 nearest neighbor matching, we successfully matched 91 pairs of patients. The prealbumin (PA) level was significantly higher in the EEN group than in the TPN group 7 days after surgery (P<0.05); however, there was no significant difference in albumin (ALB) level before surgery, 3 or 7 days after surgery. Additionally, the levels of ALT and AST in the EEN group were significantly lower than those in the TPN group 3 and 7 days after surgery (P<0.05). The incidence of acid reflux, vomiting, and diarrhea in the EEN group was higher than that in the TPN group, while the incidence of pulmonary edema and pulmonary infection was lower in the EEN group than in the TPN group (P<0.05). Conclusions: Compared with TPN, EEN is associated with a high incidence of acid reflux, vomiting, and diarrhea after esophageal cancer surgery, but it has a lower impact on liver function. EEN can promote the recovery of intestinal function, improve nutritional indicators, and shorten hospitalization time.