Outcomes Associated With Early vs Late Initiation of Exclusive Enteral Feeding Regimens Following Laparoscopic Gastrostomy Tube Placement in the Pediatric Patient.

Objectives Despite frequent placement of pediatric laparoscopic gastrostomy tubes (GTs), no rigorous evaluation of initial feeding and advancement regimens exists. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine whether early enteral feeding after GT placement is associated with increased symptoms, procedural complications, or length of stay (LOS). Methods In this retrospective cohort study, the records of all patients at a tertiary care pediatric hospital who had gastrostomy placement were reviewed. Only patients fed exclusively via gastrostomy were included. Feeding was monitored starting with the first postoperative feed and subsequently in 24-hour increments. Adverse events were recorded based on clinical documentation. Results A total of 480 patients met inclusion criteria. Patients who started feeds between 24 and 36 hours had a shorter LOS compared with those who started at 36-48 hours (P= .0072) or >48 hours (P< .0001). Patients requiring >= 60 hours to reach goal feeds had significantly longer LOS than the other groups. There was no difference in the distribution of the LOS based on percentage of goal feeds initiated. Patients who required >= 60 hours to attain goal feeds had the most feeding complications. Conclusions More aggressive feeding advancement and earlier initiation of feeds were associated with decreased LOS without an associated increase in adverse clinical events.