Background/Aims: Early enteral nutrition (EEN) has benefits in reducing infectious complication, length of stay (LOS) and preserving liver function. There are few data about the effect of EEN in the patients who had total gastrectomy. The aim of this randomized and prospective study was to evaluate the effect of EEN after total gastrectomy on nutritional status, liver function, complications and LOS, compared to total parenteral nutrition (TPN) in patients with gastric cancer. Methods: Among 56 patients with gastric cancer, 36 and 20 were randomly assigned to EEN and TPN groups, and finally 17 and 16 completed EEN and TPN schedules, respectively. The nutritional parameters, liver function, LOS and abdominal symptoms were compared between 2 groups on pre-operative day and post-operative 7th day. Results: There was no significant difference in the nutritional parameters, liver function between EEN and TPN groups. Vomiting and abdominal distention were more frequent in EEN than TPN group (2 vs. 0 cases, p=0.485; 1 vs. 0 case, p=1.000, respectively), while increased AST, ALT and total bilirubin were more common in TPN than EEN group (4 vs. 2 cases, p=0.398; 1 vs. 0 case, p=0.485, respectively without statistical significance). LOS was shorter in EEN than TPN group without statistical significance (12 vs. 13 days, p=0.289). Conclusions: No significant differences were found in the nutritional status parameters, liver function, complications and LOS between EEN and TPN groups on 7th day after total gastrectomy. Further large scale studies on the advantages and disadvantages of EEN after total gastrectomy are warranted. (Korean J Gastroenterol 2012;59:407-413)

Purpose: This study examined the effects of music therapy on pain, anxiety and length of stay of patients undergoing laparoscopic hysterectomy in the postanesthesia care unit (PACU). Methods: Sixty patients who received laparoscopic hysterectomy under general anesthesia from a PACU in a university hospital located in Cheonan city participated in this study. The experimental group (n= 30) was offered the option to listen to their preferred music by using MP3 players and headphones for 30 minutes. The control group (n= 30) received routine postoperative nursing care. Visual analogue scale was used to measure participants' pain and anxiety, length of stay in the PACU was examined by using their medical records. Data were collected from December 2013 to February 2014 and analyzed by descriptive statistics, χ 2 -test, Fisher' s exact test, and independent t-test using SPSS version 21.0. Results: The result showed that the level of post-operative pain (t= 2.44, p= .018), anxiety (t= 2.37, p= .021), and the length of stay in PACU (t= 3.06, p= .004) significantly decreased in the experimental group as compared to the control group. Conclusion: This study indicated that music therapy with the patients' preferred music showed positive effects. Therefore, it can be used as a therapeutic intervention for postoperative pain management of patients with laparoscopic hysterectomy.