Abstract
Background. Anastomotic disruption after surgical intervention is an infrequent complication,
but may lead to severe morbidity and mortality when it occurs. Of the various gastric
procedures, the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) has one of the highest risks for anastomotic
leakage. Consequently, a nasogastric tube (NGT) is frequently placed when these operations
are performed. Most studies examining the outcomes for patients without postoperative
NGTs have been relatively small with groups of patients undergoing a variety of operations.
Assessing the incidence of anastomotic leaks by routine elimination of postoperative
NGTs requires a large number of patients. In this study, we assessed the safety and
efficacy of routine elimination of NGTs in a large cohort of patients undergoing a
single operation. Methods. We reviewed our experience with 1067 patients who underwent RYGB at the UCLA medical
center. Fifty-six patients had NGTs routinely placed before the implementation of
a standard protocol, which eliminated postoperative NGT decompression. The complication
rate for the RYGB patient cohort with and without postoperative NGT was compared.
Results. We found no difference in the complication rates between the 2 groups (Fisher exact
test; P =.21). Conclusions. Our findings suggest that routine placement of an NGT after RYGB is unnecessary.
(Surgery 2002;132:844-8.)
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Article info
Publication history
Accepted:
June 12,
2002
Footnotes
*Reprint requests: Sergio Huerta, MD, University of California, Los Angeles, Center for Human Nutrition, 900 Veteran Ave, 12-217 Warren Hall, Los Angeles, CA 90095.
Identification
Copyright
© 2002 Mosby, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
