A Pilot Study to Determine the Effect of Individualized Enteral Nutrition Management Based on Prognostic Nutrition Index on Surgical Patients With Oral Malignancies.

This study aimed to assess the effect of individualized enteral nutrition management based on the prognostic nutrition index (PNI) on surgical patients with oral malignancies. This quasi-experimental pilot study consecutively included patients diagnosed with oral malignancies who underwent radical surgery in Ningbo No. 2 Hospital between January 2020 and May 2023. The primary outcome was PNI. A total of 71 patients with oral malignancies were enrolled, and 35 patients received PNI-based individualized enteral nutrition management. The PNI group displayed significantly higher PNI than the routine enteral nutrition support group (1st week postoperatively: 39.86 ± 3.86 vs. 37.29 ± 4.23, p < 0.001. 2nd weeks postoperatively: 44.17 ± 4.36 vs. 40.72 ± 3.40, p < 0.001). The surgical suture removal time and length of hospital stay (both p < 0.001) in the PNI group were significantly shorter than in the routine enteral nutrition support group. At 1 month postoperatively, the PNI group had significantly higher scores of QoL (p = 0.002) than the routine enteral nutrition support group. The individualized enteral nutrition management based on the PNI could improve the nutritional status of postoperative patients with oral malignancy, which could facilitate postoperative rehabilitation and improve overall QoL.

Effect of a Personalized Enteral Nutrition Protocol on the Postoperative Nutritional Status in Patients Who Underwent Oral Cancer Surgery.

Differences in the implementation of the perioperative nutrition guidelines and pathways by caregivers lead to differences in enteral nutrition provided to the patients. This study investigated the effect of a personalized enteral nutrition protocol on the postoperative nutritional status of patients who underwent oral cancer surgery at Zhejiang Ningbo NO. 2 Hospital. Those who underwent surgery between July 2017 and October 2018 received routine enteral nutrition based on the Nutritional Risk Screening 2002 (routine group), while those between November 2018 and August 2021 received personalized enteral nutrition based on the Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment tool (personalized group). Seventy patients completed the study (routine group, n = 34; personalized group, n = 36). After surgery, the personalized group exhibited significantly greater improvements in serum albumin levels (P < 0.01) (on the 7th and 10th day) and hand grip strength (P < 0.01), higher self-care ability (P < 0.01), lower incidence of gastrointestinal reactions during enteral feeding (P < 0.05), and shorter hospital stay (P < 0.05) than the routine group. Therefore, a personalized enteral nutrition program might improve the postoperative nutritional status, shorten the hospital stay, and accelerate postoperative recovery in patients who underwent oral cancer surgery.