Long-term home parenteral nutrition (HPN) is an important factor for cholelithiasis. An individualized nutrition program, trophic enteral nutrition and ultrasound bile ducts monitoring is a necessity in those patients. The aim of the study was to evaluate the usefulness of prophylactic cholecystectomy in patients with asymptomatic cholelithiasis requiring HPN. Material and methods. 292 chronic HPN patients were analyzed in the period from 2005 to 2012. Patients were divided into four groups: A - without cholelithiasis, B - with asymptomatic cholelithiasis, C - urgent cholecystectomy because of cholecystisis caused by gallstones, D - cholecystectomy in patients without cholelithiasis performed during an operation to restore the continuity of the digestive tract. The patients were additionally divided depending on the extent of resection of the small intestine and colon. Results. 36.9% of chronic HPN patients had cholelithiasis confirmed using ultrasonographic examination. Cholecystectomy due to acute cholecystitis symptoms was performed in 14.4% of the patients. The remaining 22.6% patients had asymptomatic cholelithiasis. Prophylactic cholecystectomy was performed in 5.5% patients with no signs of cholelcystisis during the planned operation to restore the continuity of the digestive tract. Conclusions. Cholelithiasis in chronic HPN patients is a frequent phenomenon. It seems useful to perform prophylactic cholecystectomy during primary subtotal resection of the small intestine, because the risk of cholelithiasis in this group of patients is very high.
Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) is the most commonly used method of access to the gastrointestinal tract in long‑term home enteral nutrition (HEN) in patients with neurogenic deglutition and stenosis of the upper gastrointestinal tract caused by tumour. One of the most common complications of HEN is pneumonia resulting from aspiration of saliva or food. The risk of aspiration and the potential consequent sudden death is further increased by concomitant delayed gastric emptying and gastroesophageal reflux disease. The aim of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of changing percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy to a gastrojejunostomy inserted through the PEG (PEG-J) in the prevention of aspiration pneumonia. Materiał and methods. The study involved 158 patients receiving HEN by percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG), aged 19 to 90 years. Indications for enteral nutrition in the study subjects included: neurogenic dysphagia - 95 patients (60%), and obstruction of the upper gastrointestinal tract due to cancer - 63 patients (40%). Results. The pulmonary and gastrointestinal complications were observed in 28 patients receiving gastric nutrition through PEG within one to nine months following the start of the feeding. In 20 patients, because of the symptoms of aspiration pneumonia with accompanying gastroesophageal reflux and delayed gastric emptying, PEG was changed to PEG-J as an alternative. There were no reports on food reflux and aspiration pneumonia in patients whose PEG has been replaced by PEG-J. Conclusions. The use of PEG-J appears to prevent the occurrence of aspiration pneumonia in patients receiving home enteral nutrition in the long‑term
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