Patients With Gastroparesis Symptoms After Gastric Electrical Stimulation With and Without Tube Feedings.
Fares Kasem, Le Yu Naing, Prateek Mathur et al.
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In 30 seconds
This prospective, nonrandomized, open-label study compared gastric electrical stimulation (GES) outcomes in 311 patients with gastroparesis symptoms, with and without jejunostomy tube feedings. At one year, the authors reported significant relief of nausea, vomiting, and upper gastrointestinal symptoms, with improved tolerance of a regular diet in both groups. Responses were described as similar regardless of tube-feeding status, and patients maintained weight with or without a J-tube. The abstract does not provide numerical effect estimates for these outcomes.
Key findings
- At one year after GES, nausea, vomiting, and upper gastrointestinal symptoms were significantly alleviated.
- Patients with and without J-tube feedings had similar reported responses to GES.
- Both groups had improved tolerance of a regular diet; weight was maintained with or without a J-tube.
Why it matters
Nutritional support needs can complicate care for patients with drug-refractory gastroparesis. These findings suggest that jejunostomy feeding and GES can coexist, while symptom relief and dietary tolerance may improve in patients in either group. The results may help inform discussions about GES when a patient has a J-tube, but they do not establish comparative efficacy.
What to keep in mind
The study was nonrandomized and open-label, and the abstract reports no numerical effect estimates. The one-year comparison cannot establish that GES caused the reported improvements.