The Feasibility of Early Oral Feeding After Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Combined With “Non-Tube No Fasting”-Enhanced Recovery

This study aimed to investigate the feasibility of early oral feeding (EOF) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (nCT) combined with “non-tube no fasting”-enhanced recovery after minimally invasive esophagectomy (MIE). This retrospective study investigated patients who underwent nCT combined with non-tube no fasting-enhanced recovery after MIE in the Department of Thoracic Surgery, Ward I, of the authors’ hospital from January 2014 to August 2017. These patients were divided into an early oral feeding (EOF) group (n = 112) and a late oral feeding (LOF) group (n = 69). The postoperative complications were compared between the two groups. The study enrolled 181 patients (112 patients in the EOF group and 69 patients in the LOF group). No significant differences were found between the two groups in the incidence rates of complications such as anastomotic leakage (P = 0.961), pneumonia (P = 0.450), respiratory failure (P = 0.944), heart failure (P = 1.000), acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) (P = 0.856), and unplanned reoperation (P = 0.440), whereas the time to the first postoperative flatus/bowel movement (P < 0.001) and the postoperative length of stay (P < 0.001) were significantly better in the EOF group than in the LOF group.. In this study, EOF after nCT combined with non-tube no fasting-enhanced recovery after MIE did not significantly increase complications, but significantly shortened the time to the first postoperative flatus/bowel movement and the postoperative length of stay.