ABSTRACT
A 79-year-old man with a history of gastrectomy with Billroth II reconstruction 27 years previously was admitted to our hospital due to recurrent pneumonia. Because he had dysphagia and had frequently developed pneumonia over the course of a year, enteral nutrition via nasogastric tube was initiated approximately six months before admission. The clinical and computed tomography findings showed that the cause of pneumonia was aspiration of tube feeding nutrients due to gastroesophageal reflux. To prevent gastroesophageal reflux, he was continuously kept in a 30-degree or greater reclining position. However, gastroesophageal reflux was seen at an injection rate of 50 ml/h or greater. After we inserted a nasogastric-jejunal feeding tube guided by endoscopy, gastroesophageal reflux, dumping syndrome and diarrhea were not seen up to an injection rate of 300 ml/h. Endoscopically guided nasogastric-jejunal feeding tube placement is a simple method and may be useful for patients with aspiration pneumonia due to postgastrectomy. Moreover, long-term postgastrectomy patients appear to tolerate the postopyloric injection of enteral nutrition. Because the number of elderly patients who have dysphagia with postgastrectomy is increasing, these findings provide a basis for treatment in elderly medical settings.
