[Per os early nutrition for colorectal pathology susceptible of laparoscopy-assisted surgery]. / Nutrición precoz por vía oral en patología colo-rectal tributaria de cirugía asistida por laparoscopia.

UNLABELLED: Current less invasive surgical techniques, the use of new analgesic and anesthetic drugs, and early mobilization ("multimodal surgical strategies") reduce the occurrence of post-surgery paralytic ileus and vomiting, making possible early nutrition by the digestive route. With these premises, a nutrition protocol was designed for its implementation in colorectal pathology susceptible of laparoscopy-assisted surgery. OBJECTIVE: to assess the efficacy of this protocol that comprises 3 phases. Phase I: home preparation with 7 days duration; low-residues and insoluble fiber diet, supplemented with 400 mL of hyperproteic polymeric formula with no lactose or fiber, bowel cleansing 2 days prior to surgery and hydration with water, sugared infusions, and vegetable broth. Phase II: immediate post-surgical period with watery diet for 3 days with polymeric diet with no fiber. Phase III: semi-solid diet with no residues, nutritional formula and progressive reintroduction of food intake in four stages of varying duration according to surgery and digestive tolerance. SETTING AND PATIENTS: prospective study performed at our hospital with patients from our influence area, from February 2003 to May 2004, including 25 patients, 19 men and 6 women, with mean age of 63.3 years (range = 33-79) and mean body mass index of 26.25 kg/m2 (range = 20.84-31.3), all of them suffering from colorectal pathology susceptible of laparoscopy-assisted surgery, and to which the study protocol was applied. Fourteen left hemicolectomies, 5 right hemicolectomies, 4 low anterior resections with protective colostomy, and subtotal colectomies and lateral ileostomy were done. Final diagnoses were: 3 diverticular diseases; 3 adenomas; 7 rectosigmoidal neoplasms; and 12 large bowel neoplasms in other locations. The pathology study confirmed: pT3N0 (n = 7), pT3N1 (n = 3), pT3N2 (n = 1), and pT3N1M1 (n = 1), pT1N0 (n = 4), pT1N1 (n = 2), pTis (n = 1). Twelve patients were started on adjuvant therapy of which 3 had received an initial treatment with QT or RT. RESULTS: Intestinal cleansing was poorly effective in 3 patients diagnosed with sub-occlusive neoplasm. Feeding was started within 24 hours in 13 patients, within 48 h in 7 patients, and at day 5 in one patient because of paralytic ileus. Hospital discharge was within the 3d-5th day in 60% of the patient, between 6th-10th day in 28%, and in 12% it occurred more than 20 days later due to complications. Progressive regimens were well tolerated by all patients, with no occurrence of diarrhea syndrome, the number of defecations varying from 2 to 4 and with a soft-normal consistency. In ponderal evolution, it is remarkable disease-related weight loss greater than 5% in 8 patients. By the end of the progressive diet, 5 patients had weight loss greater than 10% (4 for adjuvant therapy, 1 for depressive syndrome because of carrying a stoma). These patients were monitored 3 months later and they had recovered their regular weight. CONCLUSIONS: Early nutrition in colorectal surgery is possible. Following a progressive feeding regimen allows for a better digestive tolerance as well as a good physical and functional recovery of the patient.

[Dietetic-nutritional treatment in chronic radiation enteritis. A complex clinical case]. / Tratamiento dietético-nutricional en la enteritis rádica crónica. A propósito de un caso clínico complejo.

We present a clinical case of chronic radiation enteritis, with follow-up over 34 months, the main features of which were as follows: A 60-year-old female patient with adenocarcinoma of the rectum who required a left hemicolectomy (Hartmann), receiving chemotherapy with fluorouracil and external radiation therapy (45 Gy), presenting sub-occlusive episodes five months later that required a first surgical treatment with release of adhesive bands suggesting radiation enteritis. The patient presented progressive intolerance to oral feeding and nutritional supplements, accompanied by severe malnutrition, requiring parenteral nutrition (PN), endovenous fluid therapy and requiring a second surgical intervention due to persistence of the occlusive condition, with resection of 70 cm of the terminal ileum with ileum-colon anastomosis. The pathological analysis of the segment confirmed chronic radiation enteritis, persisting with clinical manifestations of sub-occlusion and radiological alterations compatible with radiation enteritis on the remaining intestine. The dietetic and nutritional management following admission was exclusive parenteral nutrition for 3 months, receiving formula food with glutamine for four months, associated, after 79 days of intestinal rest, with oral formula diets (Basic formula with amino acids as protein source and Standard diet) and with a gradual reduction in the number of weekly infusion until nutritional autonomy was restored after 10 months with PN, with her nutritional needs being covered completely by the digestive route. Subsequently, a mixed regime was established combining diet therapy with good tolerance and normalization of the nutritional status with a return to weight prior to illness and an improvement in radiation enteritis and biochemical parameters.

[Patients at risk for malnutrition in primary care. Social and health study]. / Pacientes en riesgo de desnutrición en asistencia primaria. Estudio sociosanitario.

GOALS: The worsening nutritional condition of certain population segments is an ever more frequent situation. Malnutrition also has considerable consequences, both in healthy individuals and in patients, leading to an increase in morbidity/mortality among the general population. The purpose of the present study is to learn the opinion of doctors in primary health care about the frequency of patients at risk of malnutrition attending their clinics; the most common forms of diagnostic technique used, the groups of population and situations that show the greatest risk of malnutrition as well as the therapeutic actions undertaken. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The present study effected 1819 opinion polls of primary health care doctors, distributed in proportion to the provincial distribution of doctors throughout Spain. With a margin of error of +/- 2.3% and a confidence interval of 95.5% (K-2). RESULTS: Of the patients seen in primary health care centres, 11% are at risk of malnutrition and approximately 61% of the total are detected at the medical clinic. The situations with the greatest risk are advanced age (71%), marginalized population (drug abusers, alcoholics) (56%), anorexia (50%), patients with mental disorders (42%), oncological pathologies (41%) and prolonged confinement in bed (39%). The therapeutic attitudes considered most appropriate by primary health care practitioners are a greater attention to diets and the use of nutritional supports in cases of established malnutrition. CONCLUSIONS: The present study reflects a high incidence of malnutrition risk among patients attending primary health care clinics (11%); and highlights the importance, from the point of view of preventive medicine, of improving nutritional education among professionals, as well as the availability of simple therapeutic actions and support measures that might help to avoid larger-scale problems with a large social and financial cost.