Perioperative medicine & outcomes
Non-placement of nasogastric tube versus early removal of nasogastric tube in the enhanced recovery after surgery of hepatocellular carcinoma: a case control study
Authors' conclusion
Patients with HCC undergoing hepatectomy without prophylactic nasogastric tube placement have a low but measurable risk of postoperative nasogastric tube re-insertion.
Study context
- Population
- Patients with HCC undergoing hepatectomy within ERASretrospectively analyzed
- Participants
- 412 patients
- Comparison
- Non-placement of nasogastric tube vs early removal of nasogastric tube
- NPGTn = 225
- ERGTn = 187reference
- Outcome
- Postoperative nasopharyngeal discomfort, nausea and vomiting, sore throat
Methodological detailspropensity score matching
- Propensity score matching
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
- Nasopharyngeal discomfort: ERGT vs NPGT
- 23.0% vs. 3.11%
- Nausea and vomiting: ERGT vs NPGT
- 14.44% vs. 8.0%
- Sore throat: ERGT vs NPGT
- 20.86% vs. 2.22%
- All significantly lower in NPGT, even after propensity score matching (PSM)
- P < 0.05
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Operation time, BMI, hepatic function, type of hepatectomy, first anal exhaust time, half-liquid eating time, postoperative LOS, postoperative complications
- No significant difference between the two groups before and after PSM
Risk factors for postoperative nasogastric tube placement in the NPGT group
- ROC: operation time cut-off > 326 min, AUC
- 0.744
- Long operation time and history of abdominal surgery were independent risk factors
Original publication
Non-placement of nasogastric tube versus early removal of nasogastric tube in the enhanced recovery after surgery of hepatocellular carcinoma: a case control study. Perioper Med (Lond). Published 14 January 2026. doi:10.
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