Short Term Feeding for Asian Patients With Liver Cirrhosis

Short Term Feeding for Hospitalised Asian Patients With Liver Cirrhosis - a Randomised Trial of Naso-gastric vs Oral Feeding

The benefits of short-term naso-gastric feeding in patients with advanced cirrhosis remain uncertain. This was a randomised study comparing naso-gastric feeding and oral feeding in Asian patients with cirrhosis who were admitted to hospital for decompensation.

Consecutive patients with decompensated cirrhosis who fitted the inclusion criteria, will be randomised to either naso-gastric or oral feeding. Total feeding will be for 2 weeks only. Following intervention specific nutritional and liver-related parameters will be measured during the 2 weeks and up to 6 weeks later. Comparison between both groups will then be made.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patients with decompensated cirrhosis of any etiology.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Advanced hepatic encephalopathy,
• Variceal bleeding,
• Hepatocellular carcinoma.