Early postoperative nutritional enhancement utilizing enteral branched-chain amino acids by way of a needle catheter jejunostomy.

Twenty patients who underwent extensive intraabdominal surgical procedures and placement of a needle catheter jejunostomy were prospectively studied to evaluate gastrointestinal tolerance and nutritional enhancement when fed an enteral branched-chain amino acid-enriched diet. At a mean caloric intake of 1,325.75 kcal/day (20.6 kcal/kg per day) and a mean nitrogen intake of 7.64 g/day (0.12 g/kg per day), positive nitrogen balance was achieved 2 to 3 days postoperatively. Total lymphocyte count and levels of transferrin and prealbumin increased significantly (p less than 0.05) during the study. Gastrointestinal tolerance was excellent. Plasma levels of leucine, isoleucine, and valine increased significantly during the study period but remained within the normal range.