Effects of Early Oral Feeding After Resection of Gastric Cancer

Most patients who undergo gastric resection for gastric cancer have maintained going on a fast of over three days after operation. Surgeons have believed that early oral feeding might worsen patients' condition by prolonged postoperative ileus. Therefore, patients received nothing by oral route until resolution of the ileus. However, the current trend toward minimal operative injury and early discharge from hospital. In addition, development of operative technique and instrument make the operation time to be short and the patients to be fast recovery, and thus it is possible to feed early in less than two days after operation. The aim of this study is to determine whether early oral feeding after curative resection for gastric cancer would be tolerable and give an effect on the recovery.

We collect fifty-eight patients for this study and divide into two groups using randomization method. In the early feeding group, patients will receive the liquid diet two day after operation followed by soft diet postoperative three day. Meanwhile, the patients who categorized into control group will start the liquid diet postoperative four day followed by soft diet postoperative six day. We evaluate the morbidity or mortality rate and laboratory findings. Of course, it is supposed to be same in amount of fluid and calories between two groups.