P238 - RECORDING ABDOMINAL PAIN SYMPTOMS LINKED TO ENTERAL FEEDING RATE IN PATIENTS WITH A FUNCTIONAL GASTRIC DISORDER

P238

RECORDING ABDOMINAL PAIN SYMPTOMS LINKED TO ENTERAL FEEDING RATE IN PATIENTS WITH A FUNCTIONAL GASTRIC DISORDER

M. Van Dooren^1,*, H. De Schepper², K. Dams¹

¹Clinical Nutrition Department, ²Gastro-enterology, Antwerp University Hospital, Edegem, Belgium

Rationale: Patients with functional gastric disorders often struggle to meet their nutritional needs due to nausea and vomiting and might require enteral feeding. Many of these patients develop abdominal pain, which appears to be linked to the rate of the enteral nutrition. Minor increases in the feeding rate can lead to worsening of the pain score, necessitating a major rate reduction, resulting in inadequate energy intake. This novel concept aims to objectively assess pain levels at different enteral feeding rates to exclude potential psychological factors. If feeding rate is not the primary cause of abdominal pain, enteral nutrition strategies can be optimized. 

Methods: This is a single-blind, placebo-controlled study. Patients with a functional gastric disorder dependent on enteral feeding at the Antwerp University Hospital are included. We aim to include 33 patients. Over three consecutive days, they receive blinded enteral nutrition (a semi-elemental, isocaloric product) and placebo (water with a small amount of enteral nutrition, 45 kcal/500 ml) at varying rates. Patients are randomly assigned to one in four established administration schedules. Every 30 minutes, the patient will provide a Visual Analog Scale (VAS) pain score.

Results: Since the launch of the study, two patients have been included. The reported pain scores were similar across different feeding rates, for enteral nutrition as well as for placebo. Only a feeding rate of 5 mL/h resulted in a slight reduction in pain score.

Conclusion: Since both patients showed minor difference in pain scores between slow and fast enteral feeding rates, this allowed for the optimization of  the rate of enteral nutrition therapy, enabling full energy requirements to be met. These preliminary results are promising to reach feeding targets in this patient group. 

Disclosure of Interest: None declared