Retrospective Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2023. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastrointest Surg. Oct 27, 2023; 15(10): 2222-2233
Published online Oct 27, 2023. doi: 10.4240/wjgs.v15.i10.2222
Examining the impact of early enteral nutritional support on postoperative recovery in patients undergoing surgical treatment for gastrointestinal neoplasms
Zhi Chen, Bo Hong, Jiang-Juan He, Qian-Qian Ye, Qiao-Yi Hu
Zhi Chen, Qian-Qian Ye, Department of Rehabilitation, Xiangshan First People’s Hospital Medical and Health Group, Ningbo 315700, Zhejiang Province, China
Bo Hong, Department of Gastroenterology, Xiangshan First People’s Hospital Medical and Health Group, Ningbo 315700, Zhejiang Province, China
Jiang-Juan He, Center of Nursing Management, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310006, Zhejiang Province, China
Qiao-Yi Hu, Department of Nutrition, Xiangshan First People’s Hospital Medical and Health Group, Ningbo 315700, Zhejiang Province, China
Author contributions: Chen Z and Hong B contributed equally to this work; Chen Z, Hong B, He JJ, Ye QQ, and Hu QY designed the research study; Chen Z, Hong B, and He JJ performed the research, analyzed the data, and wrote the manuscript; Ye QQ and Hu QY contributed new reagents and analytic tools; All authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
Supported by the Xiangshan County Science and Technology Bureau, Project Name Regional Quality Control on the Impact and Value of Endoscopic Screening for Intestinal Adenomas, No. 2022C6018.
Institutional review board statement: The study was conducted with the approval of the Ethics Committee of the Medical and Healthcare Group of the First People’s Hospital of Xiangshan County, with the ethical approval number: 2023-(k)-41.
Informed consent statement: All study participants, or their legal guardian, provided informed written consent prior to study enrollment.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report having no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Data sharing statement: The data collected for this study are available from the corresponding author.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Qiao-Yi Hu, MBChB, Intermediate Nutrition Technician, Department of Nutrition, Xiangshan First People’s Hospital Medical and Health Group, No. 291 Donggu Road, Dandong Street, Ningbo 315700, Zhejiang Province, China. 15058210622@163.com
Received: July 6, 2023
Peer-review started: July 6, 2023
First decision: July 27, 2023
Revised: August 2, 2023
Accepted: August 18, 2023
Article in press: August 18, 2023
Published online: October 27, 2023
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
Research background

Patients with gastrointestinal tumors often suffer from malnutrition, and surgical treatment may further affect nutrient absorption and metabolism. In this context, nutritional interventions to improve patients’ postoperative recovery and quality of life become critical. Early enteral nutrition support as a form of nutritional management can theoretically help to improve the nutritional status of patients and accelerate recovery, but its actual effectiveness needs to be supported by clinical evidence.

Research motivation

The postoperative nutritional management of patients with gastrointestinal tumors remains a global challenge that has a significant impact on patient recovery and overall prognosis. Our motivation was to investigate the impact of early enteral nutritional support on postoperative recovery in patients with gastrointestinal tract tumors.

Research objectives

The main objective of this study was to evaluate the use of early enteral nutrition support in patients undergoing surgery for gastrointestinal tract tumors and to determine how it improves postoperative complications, enhances quality of life, promotes immune function, and improves nutritional status.

Research methods

In a retrospective study, we compared patients who received early enteral nutrition support with those who did not, examining the incidence of postoperative complications, time to recovery, nutritional parameters, and quality of life.

Research results

The results showed that early enteral nutrition support significantly improved recovery time and nutritional status, increased the incidence of postoperative complications, and improved quality of life.

Research conclusions

We concluded that early enteral nutrition support plays a key role in the postoperative recovery of patients with surgically treated gastrointestinal tract tumors, suggesting that the importance of early enteral nutrition support in the postoperative management of these patients should not be overlooked.

Research perspectives

Further research is needed to examine the impact of early enteral nutrition support on the long-term prognosis of patients with gastrointestinal tumors and its potential application in a broader clinical context. We look forward to future clinical studies that will provide more data and insight into this area.