Nasogastric tube versus gastrostomy tube for gastric decompression in abdominal surgery: a prospective, randomized trial comparing patients' tube-related inconvenience

Perioperative decompression of the stomach is still a common procedure and can be achieved using either nasogastric tubes (NTs) or gastrostomy tubes (GTs). While both procedures appear to be equally effective, some authors believe that NTs are less convenient for patients than GTs. However, to date,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Langenbeck's archives of surgery 2001-11, Vol.386 (6), p.402-409
Main Authors: Hoffmann, S, Koller, M, Plaul, U, Stinner, B, Gerdes, B, Lorenz, W, Rothmund, M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aged
Colon - surgery
Decompression, Surgical - instrumentation
Decompression, Surgical - methods
Female
Gastrostomy - instrumentation
Humans
Intubation, Gastrointestinal - instrumentation
Male
Patient Satisfaction
Postoperative Complications - epidemiology
Prospective Studies
Quality of Life
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Summary:Perioperative decompression of the stomach is still a common procedure and can be achieved using either nasogastric tubes (NTs) or gastrostomy tubes (GTs). While both procedures appear to be equally effective, some authors believe that NTs are less convenient for patients than GTs. However, to date, no reliable prospective data are available on this issue. We conducted a prospective, randomized trial comparing NTs versus GTs with a total of 110 patients undergoing elective colon surgery. The primary outcome measure was the patient's tube-related inconvenience and pain, assessed in a standardized interview on day 2 after surgery and quantified by means of a visual-analog scale (VAS). A questionnaire including the EORTC QLQ-C30 and additional items regarding retrospective tube-related judgements was administered on the day of discharge and 4 weeks after discharge. Secondary endpoints were the therapy-related morbidity and general complications. When patients were asked which of their drainage tubes (all patients had three or four drainage tubes, such as decompression drains, urinary drains, central venous line) was most inconvenient, 43% (CI 33-53%) in the NT group reported that the NT was most inconvenient, while only 4% (CI 1-10%) of the GT patients judged the GT most inconvenient ( P
ISSN:1435-2443
1435-2451
DOI:10.1007/s00423-001-0257-7