OBJECTIVETo explore the effects of postoperative enteral immunonutrition on inflammatory response and immunologic function in patients with gastrointestinal tumor.

METHODSClinical data of 106 gastrointestinal malignant tumor patients with malnutrition who were treated in the Department of General Surgery, the People's Hospital of Cangzhou in Hebei province from January 2008 to June 2010 were prospectively collected. Patients were randomized into two groups, including enteral immunonutrition group(n=53) and common enteral nutrition group(n=53). Related immunological indices and C-reaction protein were measured on preoperative day 5 and postoperative day 1 and 9.

RESULTSThe general information and preoperative immunological indices were comparable between the two groups(P>0.05). On postoperative day 9, levels of CD4, CD4/CD8, IgG, lymphocyte, NK cells, and complement C3, C4, and CH50 in the enteral immunonutrition group were higher than those in common enteral nutrition group. Serum C-reaction protein level was lower than that in control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). Postoperative infection rate was 3.8%(2/53) in enteral immunonutrition group, significantly lower than that in control group with an infection rate of 15.1%(8/53)(P<0.05). The mean postoperative hospital stay of the two groups were (8.1±1.1) d and (9.2±2.1) d, respectively, and the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONFor gastrointestinal malignant tumor patients with malnutrition, the use of enteral immunonutrition can alleviate the postoperative trauma and inflammatory response, improve the immune function, thus can reduce the occurrence of postoperative infection, and accelerate patient recovery.