A comparative Study Between Early Versus Delayed Postoperative Oral Feeding in Patients Undergoing Small Intestinal Anastomosis

Introduction: Postoperative ileus is a temporary stop of coordinated bowel movement following surgicalinterference.Aim of work: To compare the results of delayed and early oral feeding following surgery in cases of smallintestinal anastomosis.Patients and methods: This randomized, controlled prospective study was conducted on 50 cases undergoingsmall intestine anastomosis at Ain Shams University Hospital and Mansoura International Hospital under thesupervision of thesis supervisors from January 2024 to November 2024.Results: There was a statistically insignificant differences among the examined groups with regard to operative time,drainage amount, drainage removal day, time to open bowel, Hgb, WBCs, CRP, Na+, and re-exploration(P>0.05).Still, there was a statistically significant difference (P<0.05) in the number of nasogastric tubes used, the lengthof hospital stays, blood transfusions, albumin, platelet, and K+levels. Fever occurred in 76% of participants in theDelayed Oral Feeding Group and 64% in the Early Oral Feeding Group, while vomiting has been reported in 44%and 52% of participants, respectively. Anastomotic leakage was similar between groups, with 12% in the DelayedOral Feeding Group and 4% in the Early Oral Feeding Group.Conclusion: Oral feeding following operation after small intestinal anastomosis is beneficial and safe.Cases in the early feeding group had shorter hospitalization, earlier nasogastric tube removal, andlower surgical site infections compared to those in the delayed feeding group. Early feeding was welltolerated and did not increase the risk of adverse outcomes like vomiting or anastomotic leakage.