Exocrine pancreas disfunction in severely traumatised patients and early enteral nutrition.

BACKGROUND: We investigated exocrine pancreatic insufficiency in severely traumatised patients with enteral nutrition using the fecal elastase-1 concentration. METHODS: The fecal elastase-1 levels of critically ill patients after major trauma (n=18) were determined in a prospective study. Early enteral nutrition was started with a high molecular diet via a naso-duodenal tube, starting 24-36 hours after admission to the intensive care unit. Enteral feeding was administered continuously starting with 20 mL/h (1 kcal/mL) and advanced gradually to 80 mL/h in the next days. Stool samples from the first and second stool after beginning of the enteral nutrition were taken for determination of the fecal elastase-1. For elastase-1 analysis in a sandwich-type enzyme immunoassay (ELISA), a sample of approximately 1 g stool was taken from the first and second stool after beginning of the enteral nutrition. Elastase-1 concentration of >200 microg/g was considered as normal, whereas <100 microg/g elastase-1 was significantly low indicating a severe exocrine pancreas dysfunction. RESULTS: All patients were fed enterally without relevant feeding-associated complications and no diarrhoea occurred in any patient. In the initial stool passage, 55.6% of the patients had moderately or severely decreased elastase-1 concentrations. In the second stool passage, only 38.9% of the patients showed a decrease in the elastase-1 concentration (p<0.01). The average elastase-concentration in the first stool sample was 268.4 microg/g (median: 162.1 microg/g) and in the second sample 333.8 microg/g (median: 520.2 microg/g). CONCLUSION: The data of this study suggests that initial exocrine pancreas insufficiency may occur in severely traumatised and critically ill patients, which improves under early enteral nutrition with polymeric enteral diets. The clinical consequences of exocrine pancreatic dysfunction in the early posttraumatic situation have to be defined.

Supplementation of omega-3 fatty acids in parenteral nutrition beneficially alters phospholipid fatty acid pattern.

BACKGROUND: The clinical safety and the uptake of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) into the serum phospholipids and erythrocyte membranes after administration of fish-oil-supplemented parenteral nutrition (PN) was investigated in colorectal surgical patients. METHODS: Forty patients undergoing colorectal surgery (n = 40) and with an indication for PN were enrolled in a prospective, double-blind, randomized study to receive an omega-3 PUFA-supplemented 20% lipid emulsion (Lipoplus; B. Braun Melsungen, Melsungen, Germany; test group, n = 19) for 5 days postoperatively. The control group received a standard 20% fat emulsion (Lipofundin MCT/LCT, B. Braun Melsungen, Melsungen, Germany, control group, n = 21). Clinical outcome parameters and safety were assessed by means of adverse events recording clinical parameters and hematologic analyses. The contents of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), as well as arachidonic acid (AA), in phospholipid fractions in plasma and in erythrocytes were analyzed preoperatively, on postoperative days 1, 6, and 10 using liquid gas chromatography. RESULTS: Both fat emulsions were well tolerated, and none of the adverse events was considered to be related to treatment. Postoperative infectious complications occurred in 4 patients of the omega-3 PUFA group vs 7 patients in the control group. As compared with the control group, the omega-3 PUFA group had significantly increased levels of EPA in the membranes of the erythrocytes in postoperative day 6 (2.0% +/- 0.9% vs 0.8% +/- 0.5% fatty acid methyl esters, [FAME]) and postoperative day 10 (2.1% +/- 0.8% vs 0.9% +/- 0.7% FAME, p < .05). Also, the EPA levels in the serum phospholipids were significantly higher than in the control group on the same postoperative days (7.0% +/- 2.6% vs 1.3% +/- 0.8% and 3.6% +/- 1.0% vs 1.0% +/- 0.4% FAME, p < .05). The DHA levels in the serum phospholipids were significantly higher in the omega-3 PUFA group compared with the control on postoperative days 6 and 10 (11.8% +/- 1.9% vs 8.4% +/- 1.5% and 11.2% +/- 1.6% vs 8.5% +/- 1.4% FAME, p < .05). AA levels were not significantly different in the both groups. CONCLUSIONS: Omega-3-fatty-acids-supplemented fat emulsions for parenteral administration are safe and very well tolerated. This study demonstrates that parenteral administration of omega-3-PUFA-enriched fat emulsions leads to increased incorporation of EPA and DHA into phospholipids in serum and erythrocytes, whereas AA levels remain unchanged. Thus, postoperative parenteral administration of omega-3-PUFA-enriched lipid emulsions could have an impact on the postoperative inflammatory response after abdominal surgery and could be used in standard postoperative care when PN is indicated.

Fecal incontinence: an up-to-date critical overview of surgical treatment options.

BACKGROUND: Surgery is the last resort for patients suffering from severe fecal incontinence. The armamentarium of surgical options for this condition has increased impressively during the last decade. Nevertheless, this fact seems to make neither patients nor surgeons feel more comfortable. Treatment of fecal incontinence still remains a challenge to modern medicine due to many specific sides of this problem. AIMS: This article gives an up-to-date overview of existing operative treatment options. METHODS: An unbiased review of relevant literature was performed to assess the role of all methods of surgical treatment for fecal incontinence available nowadays. RESULTS: Recent studies have shown poor late results after primary sphincter repair and low predictive value for most preoperative diagnostic tests. New surgical options such as artificial devices and electrically stimulated muscle transpositions are doomed by low success rates and unacceptably frequent complications. That is why current attention has focused on non- or minimally invasive therapies such as sacral nerve stimulation and temperature-controlled radio-frequency energy delivery to the anal canal. However, all these innovative techniques remain experimental till enough high-evidence data are gathered for their objective evaluation. CONCLUSION: Careful and detailed preoperative assessment to exactly determine the etiology of incontinence and individual approach remain the cornerstones of surgical treatment of fecal incontinence nowadays.

Early enteral gut feeding with conditionally indispensable pharmaconutrients is metabolically safe and is well tolerated in postoperative cancer patients--a pilot study.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Postoperative early enteral gut feeding with conditionally indispensable pharmaconutrients can contribute to minimize trauma-induced gut damage. Aim of this pilot study was the evaluation of metabolic effects and gastrointestinal tolerance of a new enteral supplement. METHODS: In a prospective open clinical trial, 20 cancer patients received the test supplement containing glutamine (as dipeptides), antioxidative (pro-)vitamins (C, E, beta-carotene), maltodextrine, tributyrine, sodium, zinc, and selenium within 2-3 h after elective gastrointestinal surgery continuously via jejunostomy tube for 3 postoperative days (500 ml/day). From postoperative day 3-5, additional enteral nutrition (1500 kcal/6270 kJ/day) was given. Metabolic effects (substrate monitoring, hematology, liver/kidney parameters) and tolerance (nausea, vomiting, flatulence, constipation, diarrhea) was assessed through the study. RESULTS: Gastrointestinal tolerance of the supplement was excellent: no adverse events related to the product were documented. Significantly increased mean plasma levels (day 3 vs. day 1) of vitamin C (13.0 +/- 7.3 vs. 62.8 +/- 29.7 micromol/l), vitamin E (13.5 +/- 6.6 vs. 20.8 +/- 9.2 micromol/l), zinc (5.6 +/- 1.9 vs. 8.6 +/- 2.3 micromol/l) and selenium (35.0 +/- 19.6 vs. 42.9 +/- 0.9 microg/l) as well as enhanced plasma glutamine levels (429.6 +/- 90.6 vs. 530 +/- 200.1 micromol/l) reflected an effective absorption of substrates supplied. Adverse effects on organ functions and hematology were not observed. CONCLUSIONS: Early postoperative gut feeding with the newly developed enteral supplement shows no adverse effects, is well tolerated in cancer patients and provides a novel method to deliver conditionally indispensable pharmaconutrients.