Early oral feeding vs. traditional feeding in patients undergoing elective open bowel surgery-a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: This prospective randomized controlled trial was conducted to compare the safety, tolerability and outcome of early oral feeding vs. traditional feeding in patients undergoing elective open bowel surgery. METHODS: A total of 120 consecutive patients who underwent elective open bowel surgeries were randomized into either early feeding (n = 60) or traditional feeding group (n = 60). Patients in the early feeding group were started on oral fluids on post-operative day 1, while those in the traditional feeding group were started orals after the resolution of ileus. Patient characteristics, surgical procedures, co-morbidity, first flatus, first defecation, time of starting solid diet, complications and length of hospitalization were assessed between the two groups. RESULTS: The two groups were similar in demographic and baseline data. The number of days to first flatus (p < 0.0001), first defecation (p < 0.0001), length of post-operative stay (p = 0.011) and time of starting solid diet (p < 0.0001) were significantly earlier in the early feeding group. Anastomotic leak, wound infection, fever, vomiting, abdominal distention and other complications were similar. Multivariate analysis showed that patients in the early oral feeding group were discharged 3.4 days earlier (p = 0.037). CONCLUSION: In patients undergoing elective open bowel surgeries, early post-operative feeding is safe, is well tolerated and reduces the length of hospitalization.

Primary tuberculous appendicitis presented with caecal perforation: a case report.

Gastrointestinal tuberculosis accounts for 3% of the extrapulmonary tuberculosis with ileocaecal region being the common site of involvement up to 75%. Primary involvement of appendix is very rare and accounts for only 0.6% to 2.9% of gastrointestinal tuberculosis in the absence tubercular focus elsewhere. The pre-operative investigations usually give non-specific results. The diagnosis in most instances made only after histopathology. Here we report a case of primary appendicular tuberculosis in a patient presented with caecal perforation.

Splenic artery aneurysm presenting as extrahepatic portal vein obstruction: a case report.

Splenic artery aneurysms are the most common visceral aneurysm occuring predominantly in females. They are usually asymptomatic, and the symptomatic presentation includes chronic abdominal pain of varied severity or an acute rupture with hypotension. Splenic artery aneurysm causing extrahepatic portal hypertension is very rare and is due to splenic vein thrombosis that develops secondary to compression by the aneurysm. We report one such rare presentation of splenic artery aneurysms in a pregnant female with the features of EHPVO (variceal bleed, hypersplenism) treated by splenectomy along with excision of the aneurysm.