Enteral feeding in patients with major burn injury: the use of nasojejunal feeding after the failure of nasogastric feeding

Patients with major burn injury have increased protein and energy requirements and early feeding is an established part of their management. The optimal method of feeding is unknown. Nasogastric feeding is often unsuccessful and total parenteral nutrition has a number of potential disadvantages. Post pyloric feeding is an alternative means of providing enteral nutrition. We report our experience of enteral feeding of patients with significant burn injury. Nasogastric feeding was successful in only 7 of 17 patients (41%). The commonest reason that nasogastric feeding failed was gastric stasis. All patients who failed nasogastric feeding were commenced on nasojejunal feeding and a further two patients were fed by this route initially. Ten of these 12 patients (83%) were successfully fed nasojejunally. No major adverse events attributable to nasojejunal feeding were identified, a nasojejunal tube was successfully placed in all but 1 patient and the tubes were well tolerated. We conclude that nasojejunal tube feeding should be considered in all patients with significant burn injury who cannot tolerate nasogastric tube feeding.