Enteral versus parenteral nutrition support following laparotomy in seriously traumatized patients

ABSTRACT

Polytraumatized patients are characterized by hypercatabolic states with great need for full nutrition for energy supply, host defence, and wound healing. This is a prospective randomized study including 30 seriously injured patients admitted to our hospitals between March 1996 and April 1998. We are comparing the efficacy of total parenteral nutrition [TPN] versus tube feeding jejunostomy. We started nutritional support immediately postoperatively. There were no significant differences between the two groups as regards age, sex, injury severity score [ISS], and mechanism of injury. Daily caloric intake, nitrogen intake, and nitrogen balance were statistically comparable in both groups. The results showed that pre-and post-nutrition weight, biochemical investigations and body parameters were comparable in both groups. Septic complications were lower in tube feeding jejunostomy patients, while abdominal complications were higher in them than TPN group. We suggest that early post-operative feeding jejunostomy is a reliable, safe, simple and cost effective method of nutrition for polytraumatized patients undergoing laparotomy