Effect of home enteral nutrition support under remote instruction for chemotherapy patients after esophageal cancer surgery

Objective To explore the effect of home enteral nutrition support under remote instruction on nutritional status and side effects of postoperative chemotherapy patients undergoing esophageal surgery. Methods A total of 136 patients with postoperative chemotherapy patients undergoing esophageal surgery were included in the study, among whom 71 patients with indwelling jejunal fistulas were selected as the experimental group and 65 patients without indwelling jejunal fistulas were selected as control group. The control group was given routine diet guidance, and the experimental group formulated home enteral nutrition supplement program based on remote guidance. The nutritional status, biochemical indicators and the occurrence of chemotherapy-related side effects of the two groups were compared. Results After chemotherapy, the levels of transferrin(TFN), prealbumin(PA), body mass index, midpoint circumference of the upper arm(MAC)and plasma albumin(ALB)in the experimental group were higher than those in the control group, and the differences were statistically significant(P< 0.01 or P< 0.05). The incidence rates of moderate and severe leukopenia and thrombocytopenia in the experimental group were lower than those in the control group(52.1% versus 64.6%, 40.8% versus 58.5%, P<0.05); the incidence of fatigue in the experimental group - was significantly lower than that in the control group(63.4% versus 78.5%, P<0.05), and there were no significant differences in the incidence rates of vomiting and diarrhea(P>0.05). Conclusion Most of the patients with chemotherapy after esophageal cancer operation are malnourished. The standard enteral nutrition support at home under the remote instruction can improve the nutritional status of patients, reduce the side effects of chemotherapy, and improve the chemotherapy tolerance and quality of life of patients.