Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42177669›Full record

SynthesisWorld journal of surgery2026

The Impact of Early Oral Feeding on Post-Operative Morbidity After Esophagectomy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Debasri Jena, Lixuan Feng, Kwaku Addo-Osafo, Armin Rouhi, Janice Y Kung, Sukhdeep Jatana, Kevin Verhoeff, Uzair Jogiat, Simon R Turner, Eric L R Bédard

Abstract readSystematic ReviewMeta-Analysis
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in World journal of surgery, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Debasri JenaDivision of Thoracic Surgery, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0006-0816-6867
Lixuan FengDivision of Thoracic Surgery, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Kwaku Addo-OsafoDivision of Thoracic Surgery, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Armin RouhiDivision of Thoracic Surgery, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Janice Y KungGeoffrey and Robyn Sperber Health Sciences Library, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Sukhdeep JatanaDivision of Thoracic Surgery, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Kevin VerhoeffDivision of Thoracic Surgery, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Uzair JogiatDivision of Thoracic Surgery, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Simon R TurnerDivision of Thoracic Surgery, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Eric L R BédardDivision of Thoracic Surgery, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAnastomotic leak and post-operative pneumonia are major contributors to postoperative morbidity following esophagectomy and have traditionally led to delays in oral feed initiation. Newer evidence, however, suggests early initiation of feeds may be safe. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to assess the safety of initiation of oral feeds on postoperative day one versus delayed initiation.

methodsA systematic search was conducted on six databases and studies were included if they compared safety outcomes of adult esophagectomy patients initiating feeds on postoperative day one versus delayed imitation. A random-effects meta-analysis with restricted maximum likelihood was performed and study quality was assessed with the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale.

resultsTen studies with a total of 1714 patients were included. Our primary outcome of anastomotic leak showed no significant between the early and delayed oral feeding group (8 studies, OR 0.92, 95% CI 0.59-1.41, p = 0.69). For the secondary outcomes, there was no difference in length of stay (4 studies, mean difference -2.27 days, 95% CI -5.13 to 0.60, p = 0.12) and there was decreased odds of postoperative pneumonia (9 studies, OR 0.74, 95% CI 0.58-0.95, p = 0.02).

conclusionsInitiating oral intake on postoperative day one after esophagectomy does not increase length of stay or risk of anastomotic leak and postoperative pneumonia. These findings support consideration of early oral feeding as a safe component of perioperative care when applied appropriately.

Indexed as

Anastomotic LeakEnteral NutritionEsophagectomyPostoperative ComplicationsHumansLength of StayPneumoniaTime Factorsanastomotic leakearly oral feedingesophagectomypostoperative morbidity

Identifiers

PMID42177669
PMCPMC13356500

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.