Nursing of cancer patients with Wernicke encephalopathy after gastrointestinal surgery / 现代临床护理

ABSTRACT

Objective To summarize the experience of nursing cancer patients with Wernicke encephalopathy (WE) after gastrointestinal surgery. Method The clinical data of 6 patients with WE after gastrointestinal surgery in our hospital from January 2005 to June 2015 were retrospectively analyzed to summarize the nursing strategies. Results All the 6 patients showed mental changes of different types, 5 patients developed with ocular manifestations and one patient with ataxia. Only one patient showed the classic triad of the disease at clinical presentation. All the 6 patients had characteristic manifestations on cranial MRI and received thiamine (vitamin B1) at diagnosis. Four patients were completely recovered and 2 were partially recovered. Conclusion Timely sufficient thiamine supplementation during the perioperative period is the key to prevent and treat WE in the patients with gastrointestinal cancer. Careful observation of the patients′ mental state and the effective nursing for the special classic triad of the disease are critical for a better prognosis.