Naima Rasool, Ijaz Hussain, Jamshed Akhtar, Soofia Ahmed, Abdul Aziz.
Can Nasogastric Decompression be omitted in children with selected abdominal surgical procedures?.
J Coll Physicians Surg Pak Jan ;12(6):353-5.

Objective: To determine if nasogastric decompression can be omitted in paediatric patients undergoing selective abdominal surgical procedures. Design: A prospective and comparative study. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Paediatric Surgery, National Institute of Child Health, Karachi from January 2000 to December 2001. Subject and Methods: Seventy-five patients were randomized into two groups, Group I, with nasogastric tube and Group II without nasogastric tube. Patients under one year of age and those with intestinal obstruction, peritonitis and septicaemia were excluded. Parameters observed were nausea, vomiting, abdominal distension, cough, dry mouth, throat discomfort, chest complication, fluid and electrolyte imbalance, gut sounds, bowel movement, resumption of oral intake, wound infection, anastomotic dehiscence and duration of hospital stay. Results: The age, sex and type of patient between two groups were comparable, incidence of vomitings, abdominal distention, fever, respiratory difficulty and fluid and electrolyte imbalance were not statistically significant in two groups, while the return of gut sounds, bowel movements, resumption of oral intake and hospital stay were statistically significant in favour of Group II. Conclusion: Prophylactic NG decompression was unnecessary in most of the cases in the trial and was associated with increased patient`s discomfort, delayed recovery of gastrointestinal function and longer convalescence. Nasogastric decompression should be used only therapeutically in those patients who develop persistent vomiting or significant abdominal distension after surgery.

PakMediNet -Pakistan's largest Database of Pakistani Medical Journals - http://www.pakmedinet.com