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ABSTRACT: Enteral nutrition, as demonstrated by the many published papers, is not only safer and cheaper than parenteral supply of nutrients, but modulates an exaggerated cytokine response related to surgical trauma that leads to an increase in intestinal permeability, bacterial translocation and infection. The aim of enteral nutrition is to reduce the impact of cytokines on surgical patients and the related infectious complications. Via the enteral route the nutrients can reach the bowel lumen where enterocytes draw upon their fuel, preserving the barrier effect and modulating the cytokine response. Parenteral supply does not achieve this target since the blood supply of nutrients is not as important as the luminal supply. It is only via the enteral supply route that we can preserve the barrier effect. Since the cytokine response sets in immediately after a trauma such as surgery, we implement uninterrupted enteral nutrition, which means before, during and after surgery, plus parenteral support till the full calorie intake is achieved. In a hepatic resection study, we have demonstrated that enteral nutrition modulates the interleukin-6 immunological response and shortens both the period to bowel movement resumption and the duration of hospital stay. Aggressive enteral nutrition has also been implemented in severe pancreatitis, allowing control of the disease without the onset of septic complications. The most important target is not to achieve full calorie intake rapidly, but to supply the enteric mucosa continuously with useful immuno-nutrients, such as glutamine and fibres, to preserve the barrier effect, the mucus layer, and immunological status of the mucosa. In this way we have obtained significant results in the surgical treatment of these patients, reducing the infection rate and hospital stay. New prospects may be,possible in the fight against surgical infections by adding probiotics to enteral nutrition in order to improve the microenvironment of the colon.
Chirurgia italiana 57(3):293-9.
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ABSTRACT: Intestinal ischemia in antiphospholipid antibody syndrome (PAPS) could be due to arterial thrombosis from hypercoagulability. A male patient, 45 years old, was admitted to the hospital with symptoms of acute abdomen and after laparotomy he developed sepsis, right kidney infarction, jejunal ischemia, aortic thrombosis, wide necrosis of both gluteus muscles, left subclavian vein thrombosis. Our therapeutic and diagnostic strategy was delineated after demonstration of antiphospholipid antibodies. The patient was treated with total parenteral nutrition in the presence of 5 enteric fistulas with very high outflow, arterial stent insertion and daily changes of medicated dressings. Outcome was excellent with small residual deficit in walking. Continuous nutritional status monitoring and very high nitrogen supply allowed excellent healing of huge wounds and closure of enteral fistulas.
Chirurgia italiana 59(1):83-9.
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ABSTRACT: We reviewed our series of consecutive cases of severe pancreatitis observed from 2002 to 2004, in order to verify how our actual therapeutic strategy improved prognosis. Seventeen patients with diagnosis of severe pancreatitis (SP) were admitted. On presumption of SP we inserted a naso-jejunal self-propelling feeding tube (SPT) in all but one patients, and an early enteral nutrition ( EEN ) was started. Severity of pancreatitis has been scored by APACHE II (> 8), IMRIE (> or = 3), and Balthazar Computed Tomography findings (> 30% necrosis). We always used a polymeric diet added with glutamine and fibres at initial rate of 20-30 ml/h until achievement of a full regimen of EEN, based on Harris-Benedict formula but no more than 30 kcal/kg/day. Only one patient has been submitted to surgical removal of infected necrosis. A patient died (5.8%) by dis-metabolic and septic state. From our experience we can state EEN is safe and useful to determine a favourable outcome on this dismal pathology, preserving the patient from infection, without significative alterations of nutritional index.
Chirurgia italiana 59(1):75-81.
