Early Nasoenteric Tube Feeding in Acute Pancreatitis

Abstract This chapter explores the PYTHON trial, which studies the timing of nasoenteric tube feeding in patients with acute pancreatitis, comparing early enteral feeding within 24 hours to an oral diet after 72 hours in patients at high risk of complications. There was no significant difference in major infections, mortality, or secondary outcomes, including necrotizing pancreatitis and organ failure, between the two groups. In conclusion, early nasoenteric tube feeding within 24 hours does not offer significant benefits over an oral diet at 72 hours, suggesting that oral feeding is the better strategy when clinically tolerated.