Patient-reported outcomes were recorded daily in a patient diary during hospitalization. The Abdominal Surgery Impact Scale questionnaire was used to determine patients\' quality of life. The patients were then followed up at 1 week and 1, 3, and 6 months after discharge.
While 17 patients were randomized to nasogastric tube feeding, 18 were put on nil-by-mouth. The overall quality of life and individual domains did not differ significantly between the groups during hospitalization (P = .500) or follow-up. For the entire cohort, individual quality-of-life domains during hospitalization improved significantly, including functional impairment (P < .001), pain (P < .001), sleep (P = .035), and psychological function (P < .001). Quality of life further improved for all patients from time of hospital discharge to 3 (P = .002) and 6 months follow-up (P < .001) but not to 1 week and 1 month.
The use of nasogastric tube feeding, in comparison with nil-by-mouth, does not impair patients\' quality of life. Given the clinical benefits of nasogastric tube feeding, nasogastric feeding should be considered the first-line approach in all acute pancreatitis patients requiring enteral nutrition.