Influence of preoperative enteral nutrition on nutritional status in postoperative patients with esophageal carcinoma

Objective To investigate the influence of preoperative enteral nutrition on nutritional status in postoperative patients with esophageal carcinoma. Methods The clinical data of 40 patients with esophageal carcinoma admitted between January 2008 and December 2008 at Tangshan Workers Hospital of Hebei Medical University were analyzed. All the patients were randomly allocated into two groups. Each group included 20 patients. In the control group, patients received only early enteral nutrition (EEN) postoperatively. In the treatment group, patients received not only preoperative EEN but also Nutrison by mouth preoperatively for enteral nutrition support. The body weight, hemoglobin and serum albumin were measured on the day before operation and the eighth day after operation. On the eighth day, 24h urine sample was collected and urea nitrogen were measured to calculate the balance of nitrogen. Results There was no significant deviation between the two groups (P0.05). The treatment group showed significantly increased in the hemoglobin, serum albumin, nitrogen balance compared with the control group (P0.05). Conclusion Preoperative enteral nutrition can improve the nutrition status of postoperative patients with esophageal carcinoma.