Feasibility of Home Jejunal Feeding Following Discharge after Major Gastrointestinal Surgery—A Randomised Controlled Trial

Abstract

Purpose: Following major upper gastrointestinal surgeries, patients often struggle to eat after discharge from hospital. Home jejunal feeding is a potential nutrition support method, but few studies have explored such practice. The aim of this study is to quantitatively and qualitatively assess the feasibility of home jejunal feeding. Methods: Thirteen people having had major upper gastrointestinal surgeries were recruited and randomised into one of two isocaloric nutrition support interventions; oral supplement (OS) or jejunal feeding (JF), for one month post-discharge at home. Anthropometric, patient-generated subjective global assessment, food intake and quality of life surveys were collected at baseline, one month and three months post-discharge. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 6 participants after the three month review. Results: No statistically significant baseline differences were found between the two groups. At one month post-discharge, median weight loss was found to be significantly greater in OS group compared to JF group, 7.7% (inter-quartile range (IQR) = 7.3) and 0.5% (IQR = 3.5) respectively (p = 0.035). No significant differences were found in other parameters. Qualitative interviews showed positive feelings towards JF, while OS was deemed as not very helpful. Conclusions: This preliminary research shows the use of home JF is feasible when compared to oral nutrition support. This parallels with the limited existing literature, which indicate that JF is clinically beneficial. Larger studies are required to validate clinical and quality of life outcomes.