In youngsters, enteral feeding is usually started 24 hours following a percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG). Adult studies show that refeeding may be done safely 1 to 6 hours after PEG, and these findings have been cautiously applied to children. There are presently no comparative studies comparing early vs next-day refeeding in children. This research compares feeding tolerance and problems in children after early versus next-day refeeding. This is a pre-post research conducted at a single site. The clinical practise altered in June 2015 to begin refeeding within 6 hours after PEG. Children who had early refeeding from December 2015 to August 2017 were included in the study. After PEG, 46 children received early refeeding, and 37 received next-day refeeding. The gender distribution in the two groups was comparable. When compared to next-day refeeding patients, early refeeding patients were slightly older and heavier upon PEG insertion. Patients who began refeeding early had more postprocedural nausea and/or vomiting, as well as leakage, irritation, and infection around the stoma. Next-day refeeding patients had a greater frequency of fever, a longer nutritional disruption, and a longer length of stay when compared to early re feeders. Peritonitis developed in one of the next-day refeeding patients. One early refeeding patient had cellulitis, necessitating hospitalisation, and another had a gastrostomy tube migrate into the peritoneal cavity, necessitating removal.
Early refeeders had a greater risk of postoperative nausea or vomiting, as well as irritation, leakage, or infection around the stoma, but a lower prevalence of postoperative fever. Early refeeding resulted in less nutritional disruption and a shorter hospital stay.
