NUTRITION
Article reprinted with permission of DVM360 – March 05, 2018
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Don't Forget Nutrition!
Placing Oesophagostomy
Tubes in Cats
This simple procedure ensures adequate nutrition for post-surgical feline
veterinary patients—which can speed recovery time and minimise hospitalisation.
By Marc Hirshenson, DVM,
DACVS, American College of
Veterinary Surgeons
DVM360 MAGAZINE
Adequate nutritional support is an essential, yet often
overlooked, aspect of postsurgical care. Ill patients frequently
present with decreased appetite, anorexia or weight loss
related to their underlying condition. These signs may be
related to pain or structural disease of the mouth (e.g. oral
tumors) or generalised feelings of illness due to systemic
disease (e.g. lymphoma, renal disease).
The negative effects of malnutrition are well-established and
include decreased wound and fracture healing, decreased
immune response and organ dysfunction. Enteral nutrition
can hasten recovery time, decrease hospitalisation stays and
avoid unwanted sequelae such as hepatic lipidosis.
Oesophagostomy tube placement in cats is a technically
simple procedure, requiring minimal anaesthetic time, and it
carries a low risk of complications.
i. Oesophagostomy tubes have a larger diameter than
naso-oesophageal or nasogastric tubes, allowing for
administration of blenderised diets and medications.
ii.
Compared to gastrostomy or jejunostomy tubes,
oesophagostomy tubes can be easily removed at any point.
iii. Causes less discomfort than a naso-oesophageal tube.
(Ed)
Required Equipment
Here’s what you’ll need to place an oesophagostomy
tube in a cat:
• Surgical preparation materials: clippers, scrub, sterile
gloves
• Scalpel blade
• Curved haemostatic forceps
• Red rubber, silicone or polyurethane tube (minimum
10-F; often greater than 14-F—depends on size of
patient)
• Tube adapter (i.e. “Christmas tree”) and injection cap
• Nylon suture
• Bandage material.
Patient Considerations
Oesophagostomy tubes are placed under general
anesthesia. Consider the anaesthetic risk to the patient
and perform appropriate preanaesthetic diagnostics
as necessary. Patients with oesophageal disease are
not candidates for oesophagostomy tubes.
Patient preparation
Anaesthetise the patient with endotracheal intubation.
I personally prefer to place the patient in right lateral
recumbency so I can place the oesophagostomy
tube on the left side of the cervical region; however,
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