Postoperative colonic motility increases after early food intake in patients undergoing colorectal surgery

Prospective Randomized Trial of Immediate Postoperative Use of Regular Diet Versus Clear Liquid Diet in Major Colorectal Surgery

BACKGROUND

Enhanced recovery protocols are becoming standard practice after major colorectal surgery. An increasing body of evidence suggests that early feeding should be encouraged; however, whether a clear liquid diet or solid diet should be given immediately after surgery is undetermined.

OBJECTIVE

Evaluate whether regular diet was superior to clear liquid diet beginning on postoperative day 0 after major colorectal surgery.

DESIGN

Superiority trial design.

SETTING

Urban tertiary center.

PATIENTS

Consecutive patients undergoing abdominal colorectal surgery from September 2017 to June 2018.

INTERVENTIONS

Eligible patients received either 1) clear liquid diet on postoperative day 0 with advancement to regular diet on postoperative day 1 or 2) regular diet on postoperative day 0 and continuing for the duration of patients' recovery.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

The primary end point was diet tolerance, defined by the absence of vomiting by postoperative day 2.

RESULTS

A total of 105 patients were randomly assigned with 53 in the clear liquid diet group and 52 in the regular diet group. All randomly assigned patients were included in the analysis. The rate of diet tolerance by postoperative day 2 was similar between groups. Rates of ileus, antiemetic usage, narcotic usage, time to return of bowel function, and pain/nausea/bloating scores were similar between the 2 groups. Significantly more patients in the clear liquid diet group (91%) tolerated their diet than did the regular diet group (71%) on postoperative day 0 ( p = 0.01).

LIMITATIONS

Diet tolerance was only monitored during inpatient stay. The rate of postoperative ileus was difficult to capture as its clinical definition encompassed a wide range of symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS

Regular diet immediately after abdominal colorectal surgery was not superior to a clear liquid diet with respect to diet tolerance by postoperative day 2. Furthermore, starting regular diet on postoperative day 0 was not associated with any outcome benefits compared to clear liquid diet.

ENSAYO PROSPECTIVO ALEATORIZADO SOBRE EL USO POSTOPERATORIO INMEDIATO DE UNA DIETA NORMAL VERSUS UNA DIETA DE LQUIDOS CLAROS EN CIRUGAS MAYORES COLORRECTALES

ANTECEDENTES:Los protocolos de recuperación mejorada se están convirtiendo en una práctica estandarizada tras una cirugía mayor colorrectal. La creciente evidencia sugiere la alimentación temprana debe ser estimulada, sin embargo, no se ha determinado si se debe administrar una dieta de líquidos claros o una dieta sólida inmediatamente después de la cirugía.OBJETIVO:Evaluar si la dieta regular fue superior a la dieta de líquidos claros a partir del día cero del postoperatorio tras una cirugía mayor colorrectal.DISEÑO:Diseño de prueba de superioridad.AJUSTE:Centro terciario urbano.PACIENTES:Pacientes consecutivos sometidos a cirugía abdominal colorrectal desde septiembre de 2017 hasta junio de 2018INTERVENCIONES:Los pacientes elegibles recibieron ya sea 1) dieta de líquidos claros en el día 0 del postoperatorio con avance a la dieta regular en el día 1 del postoperatorio o 2) dieta regular en el día 0 del postoperatorio y continuaron durante la recuperación de los pacientes.PRINCIPALES MEDIDAS DE RESULTADO:El criterio principal de valoración fue la tolerancia a la dieta, definida por la ausencia de vómitos en el segundo día posoperatorio.RESULTADOS:Un total de 105 pacientes fueron aleatorizados con 53 en el grupo de dieta de líquidos claros y 52 en el grupo de dieta regular. Todos los pacientes aleatorizados fueron incluidos en el análisis. La tasa de tolerancia a la dieta en el segundo día postoperatorio fue similar entre los grupos. Las tasas de íleo, del uso de antieméticos, del uso de narcóticos, del tiempo de recuperación de la función intestinal y puntajes de dolor/náuseas/distensión abdominal fueron similares entre los dos grupos. Significativamente más pacientes en el grupo de dieta de líquidos claros (91%) toleraron su dieta comparada al grupo de dieta regular (71%) en el día postoperatorio 0 ( p = 0,01).LIMITACIONES:La tolerancia a la dieta solo fue monitorizada durante la estadía hospitalaria. La tasa de íleo postoperatorio fue difícil de registrar debido a que su definición clínica abarcaba una amplia variedad de síntomas.CONCLUSIONES:La dieta regular inmediatamente después de la cirugía abdominal colorrectal no fue superior a una dieta de líquidos claros con respecto a la tolerancia de la dieta en el día 2 del postoperatorio. Además, comenzar una dieta regular el día cero del postoperatorio no se asoció con ningún beneficio en los resultados en comparación con la dieta de líquidos claros. (Traducción-Dr. Osvaldo Gauto ).

The effect of diets delivered into the gastrointestinal tract on gut motility after colorectal surgery-a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES

Despite best practice guidelines, feeding methods after colorectal surgery vary due to the difficulties translating evidence into practice. The aim was to determine the effectiveness of diets delivered into the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) on gut motility following colorectal surgery.

SUBJECTS/METHODS

EMBASE, MEDLINE, CINAHL, Web of Science and PubMed were systematically searched. Randomised controlled trials investigating effectiveness of a diet on gut motility after colorectal surgeries were included. Outcomes included postoperative ileus, length of stay, mortality, nausea and vomiting.

RESULTS

A total of 756 potential studies were identified; of these, 10 trials reporting on 1237 unique patients were included. There is evidence that early feeding reduces time (days) to first flatus (mean difference (MD):-0.64; 95% CI:-0.84 to -0.44) and bowel movements (MD:-0.64; 95% CI:-1.01 to -0.26), when compared to traditional postoperative fasting. Introducing solids versus the progression of fluids to solids had no effect on time (days) to first flatus (MD:0.13; 95% CI:-1.99 to 1.74) or bowel movement (MD:0.20; 95% CI:-0.50 to 0.98). Complete nutrition compared to hypocaloric nutrition had no effect on time to first flatus (MD:-0.60; 95% CI:-1.66 to 0.46) or bowel movement (MD:-0.20; 95% CI:-1.59 to 1.19), whereas coffee and diet compared to water and diet significantly decreased time (days) to first bowel movement (MD:-0.60; 95% CI:-0.97 to -0.19) but had no effect on time to first flatus (MD:-0.20; 95% CI:-0.57 to 0.09).

CONCLUSIONS

Any form of early postoperative diet provided into the GIT early after colorectal surgery is likely to stimulate gut motility, resulting in earlier return of bowel function and shorter length of stay.

Enteral Nutrition for Adults in the Hospital Setting

In patients unable to tolerate oral intake, multiple options of nutrient delivery are available to the clinician. Administration of enteral nutrition (EN) has long been considered the standard of care for nutrition support among patients unable to meet energy and protein requirements orally. Healthcare practitioners must make careful decisions related to ordering, administering, and monitoring EN therapy. In the hospital setting, the registered dietitian is a key resource in enteral formula selection and method of administration, monitoring for and troubleshooting EN-related complications, and transitioning to oral feeding. The hospital setting also presents many unique challenges in providing optimal nutrition to the enterally fed patient.

Postoperative ileus: mechanisms and future directions for research

Postoperative ileus (POI) is an abnormal pattern of gastrointestinal motility characterized by nausea, vomiting, abdominal distension and/or delayed passage of flatus or stool, which may occur following surgery. Postoperative ileus slows recovery, increases the risk of developing postoperative complications and confers a significant financial load on healthcare institutions. The aim of the present review is to provide a succinct overview of the clinical features and pathophysiological mechanisms of POI, with final comment on selected directions for future research.Terminology used when describing POI is inconsistent, with little differentiation made between the obligatory period of gut dysfunction seen after surgery ('normal POI') and the more clinically and pathologically significant entity of a 'prolonged POI'. Both normal and prolonged POI represent a fundamentally similar pathophysiological phenomenon. The aetiology of POI is postulated to be multifactorial, with principal mediators being inflammatory cell activation, autonomic dysfunction (both primarily and as part of the surgical stress response), agonism at gut opioid receptors, modulation of gastrointestinal hormone activity and electrolyte derangements. A final common pathway for these effectors is impaired contractility and motility and gut wall oedema. There are many potential directions for future research. In particular, there remains scope to accurately characterize the gastrointestinal dysfunction that underscores an ileus, development of an accurate risk stratification tool will facilitate early implementation of preventive measures and clinical appraisal of novel therapeutic strategies that target individual pathways in the pathogenesis of ileus warrant further investigation.

Early use of low residue diet is superior to clear liquid diet after elective colorectal surgery: a randomized controlled trial

OBJECTIVE

Compare the feasibility and patient tolerance to either a clear fluid (CF) or low residue diet (LRD) started on postoperative day (POD) 1 after elective colorectal surgery.

BACKGROUND

Diet advancement after surgery traditionally starts gradually with liquids, on the basis of fears that early solid intake may increase nausea, vomiting, and overall complications. A randomized controlled trial comparing LRD and CF on POD 1 was performed.

METHODS

111 elective colorectal surgery patients were randomized to CF (n = 57) or LRD (n = 54). The primary end point was vomiting on POD 2. Secondary endpoints included nausea score, days to flatus, length of hospital stay (LOS), and postoperative morbidity.

RESULTS

Patient characteristics, surgical technique, intraoperative characteristics, and postoperative opioid use were similar between study arms. CF versus LRD results were as follows: POD2 vomiting (28% vs 14%; P = 0.09), and significant increase in mean nausea score (4.7 vs 3.5; P = 0.01), days to flatus (4.8 vs 3.7 days; P = 0.04), and LOS (7.0 vs 5.0 days; P = 0.01). LOS remained significantly shorter even after adjusting for significant covariates (laparoscopic technique, surgical site, postoperative comorbidity, stoma, and nasogastric tube) with LRD patients having an adjusted 1.4-day decrease in LOS (P < 0.01). There was no significant difference in postoperative morbidity between study arms. Multivariate analysis of all secondary endpoints confirmed an overall significant improvement in outcomes for LRD vs CF (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

LRD, rather than CF, on POD1 after colorectal surgery is associated with less nausea, faster return of bowel function, and a shorter hospital stay without increasing postoperative morbidity.

Early Oral Feeding in Pediatric Intestinal Anastomosis

A prospective nonrandomized study of 31 children aged <16 years over a period of 14 months was conducted to evaluate the effects of early oral feeding (EOF) in children with intestinal anastomosis. Patients undergoing elective or emergency intestinal anastomosis below the ligament of Trietz with no contamination were included while contaminated cases and neonatal atresias were excluded. First feed was the direct oral feed started within 24 h, usually the morning after surgery. Liquid feeds were started initially and increased at 4 hourly increments to appropriate feed for age. Time to full feeds was recorded. Patients were monitored for vomiting, abdominal distension, and signs of leak. Time to first stool and length of hospital stay were recorded. Median age of patient was 12 months. Mean time to first feed was 16 h, and mean time to full feeds was 36 h. Four of the 31 patients had delayed tolerance to feed, either due to vomiting or distension, which was transient and resolved spontaneously in three patients and due to prolonged ileus in the fourth patient. None of the patients had leaks. Most of the patients were discharged by postoperative day 3 (83 %). Early enteral feeding in pediatric intestinal anastomosis can be safely started without looking for traditional markers of return of bowel activity. It lowers hospital stay with no adverse effects. Generalization of this concept to selected emergency and neonatal surgeries can be considered, but needs further randomized control trial to validate.

Postoperative colonic motility after tropisetron and a standardized meal in patients undergoing conventional colorectal surgery

BACKGROUND

Early postoperative enteral nutrition is advantageous for the recovery of colonic motility but may be limited by abdominal distension, nausea, and vomiting. We aimed to investigate the tolerance of a standardized meal after pretreatment with the 5-hydroxytryptamine-3-receptor antagonist tropisetron and to study the concomitant colonic motility.

METHODS

Colonic motility and tone were recorded on postoperative day 1 to 3 with a combined manometry/barostat recording catheter in 12 patients who underwent open colorectal surgery with an anastomosis in the distal colon or rectum. The study protocol consisted of 30 min of baseline recordings followed by 5 mg of tropisetron intravenously. Then, motility was recorded for another 30 min before patients ingested a standardized meal to trigger the gastrocolonic response. Postprandial motility was recorded for the subsequent 60 min.

RESULTS

The colonic motility index increased after administration of tropisetron on all three postoperative days (day 1: 34+/-11 vs 122+/-48, day 2: 55+/-19 vs 101+/-25, and day 3: 42+/-16 vs 93+/-33 mmHg/min; p<0.05). No further increase of the motility index was observed postprandially. Frequency and amplitude of contractions were virtually unaffected by tropisetron and the meal. Barostat bag volume decreased postprandially in the proximal bag on the third, and in the distal bag on the first and second postoperative day (p<0.05). Patients' condition was unaffected by the standardized meal after tropisetron administration.

CONCLUSIONS

Tropisetron may enhance colonic motility in the early postoperative period; however, the gastrocolonic response was impaired thereafter. High caloric food intake is well tolerated early after surgery after tropisetron pretreatment.