ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to assess the tolerance of early oral feeding after total laryngectomy. METHOD: A randomized multicenter study was conducted that included 89 individuals subjected to total laryngectomy. The participants were allocated to 2 groups: early (n = 44), early oral feeding; and late (n = 45), late oral feeding. The participants in the early group were assessed as to acceptance of oral feeding, and their food intake was quantified. RESULTS: In the early group, the total energy expenditure and protein needs were not met through oral feeding alone at any time during the first 7 postoperative days. The times to attain 25% and 50% of the total energy expenditure and protein needs by oral feeding after surgery were 4 and 7 days, respectively. CONCLUSION: The patients subjected to early oral feeding failed to meet their caloric and protein needs through that route alone during the first 4 postoperative days and required complementary nutrition through another route. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 38: E643-E648, 2016.
