RESUMO
Objective To assess the benefit of intraoperatively placed nasointestinal feeding tubes for early postoperative enteral nutrition.Methods The retrospective study was carried out on 19 cases of in-fants with long gap esophageal atresia who underwent one-stage operation in Xinhua Hospital from January 2006 to December 2013.Patients were divided into two groups according to whether the transanastomotic na-sointestinal feeding tubes(TNFT)were placed.Demographics,associated anomalies,operative findings,com-plications,duration of enteral nutrition(EN),length of stay were analyzed.Results Thirty-seven patients had long gap esophageal atresia and nineteen underwent one-stage operation.Eight patients were identified as TNFT group while eleven patients were identified as nonfeeding tube(NFT)group.There was no significant differences between the two groups in gestational age,birth weight,associated anomalies,anastomotic leak, weight gain,ICU-free days and length of stay(P>0.05).But the ventilator-free days(23.5 d vs.19.3 d), first EN time(0.8 d vs.9.1 d)and total EN feeding time(15.9 d vs.21.4 d)between the two groups were significantly different(P<0.05 ).Conclusion Intraoperatively placed TNFT may lead to earlier EN feeding and shorter parenteral nutrition duration,but a larger prospective study would be required to prove the benefits and ensure the safety.
RESUMO
The repair of esophageal atresia with a long gap still continues to pose difficulties for the surgeon. There is general agreement that the child's own esophagus is best, but it is also believed that a primary repair is not always possible. Foker JE et al. (1997) developed a technique of esophageal lengthening using external traction sutures. We experienced one case of esophageal atresia with a 4.5cm gap (4 vertebral spaces) which was repaired using the external traction suture technique.