Putting patients through a brief "starvation period" after gastrointestinal (GI) surgery seems to do little good.

In fact, researchers found, feeding patients within a day of surgery may benefit them by cutting the risk of postoperative infection and getting them out of the hospital sooner.

In a review of 11 trials that compared the "nothing by mouth" tactic with early tube feeding, researchers found that temporarily starving patients after gastrointestinal surgery did not have its intended benefits.

After such surgery, it is common for patients to first be given IV fluids before tube feeding is started. The thought is that this gives surgical injuries time to heal before being exposed to the stress of food passing through.

But in these 11 trials, there was no evidence this tactic prevented complications.

However, since most of the trials were of "doubtful methodological quality," the researchers say their findings lay the groundwork for future trials rather than for immediate changes in practice.

British Medical Journal October 6, 2001;323:761-762, 773-776

	Dr. Mercola's Comments:
It is amazing how such commonly held long traditions seem to fall by the wayside as they are more carefully examined. When I actually spent much time in the hospital as a resident, I never could fully understand the logic of this recommendation and it appears it was fatally flawed.