EDMONd - Elemental Diet in Bowel Obstruction

Royal Surrey County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Status: Unknown

Conditions: Ovarian Neoplasms; Abdominal Neoplasm; Primary Peritoneal Carcinoma; Peritoneal Diseases; Peritoneal Neoplasms; Bowel Obstruction; Metastatic Ovarian Cancer; Ovarian Cancer; Ovarian Disease

Treatments: Dietary Supplement: Elemental 028 Extra Liquid

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT03150992

32895 (Other Identifier)

16/LO/2079

Details and patient eligibility

About

A feasibility study to provide 'proof of concept' of Elemental Diet (ED) as an acceptable/ useful feeding option for patient with inoperable malignant bowel obstruction and to examine the impact of ED on quality of life

Full description

The aim of this study is to determine whether Elemental Diet (a type of drink that contains an elemental protein source known as amino acids) can be tolerated by patients with inoperable bowel blockage who can no longer eat and are only able to swallow small amount of fluid. The objective is to find out whether elemental diet (ED) can be used as an acceptable nutrition and whether it improves the quality of life. Bowel blockage is a common complication in patients with ovarian cancer. Unfortunately when the cancer is advanced, this blockage can occur in many parts of the bowel therefore surgery is not possible. Every year in the UK some publications report the rate as high as 50% . One way to feed patients with bowel blockage is through the veins; this is known as parenteral nutrition (PN) however PN is rarely used in United Kingdom. Patients with malignant bowel blockage are often able to swallow small amounts of liquid but if they have no PN they are only able to survive for 2-3 weeks and the psychological as well as physical impact on patients and the family are very distressing. ED is a type of a drink which contains an elemental protein source known as amino acids. ED drinks are almost totally absorbed in the upper part of the bowel and therefore could be absorbed even in patients who have bowel blockage which usually develops lower down in the gut. If this study is successful and proves that ED can be tolerated and provide nutrition to patients with inoperable bowel blockage it will be a big step towards improving the quality of life at the final stage of cancer.

Enrollment: 34 estimated patients

Sex: Female

Ages: 18 to 90 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Age > 18 years
• Confirmed inoperable bowel obstruction due to disseminated malignancy
• Ability to tolerate 500ml of liquid
• Capacity to give informed consent

Exclusion criteria

• Bowel obstruction that can be managed with surgical intervention
• Complete bowel obstruction and inability to tolerate small amount of liquid

Trial design

Primary purpose: Supportive Care

Allocation: N/A

Interventional model: Single Group Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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34 participants in 1 patient group

Elemental 028 Extra Liquid

Experimental group

Description:

All patients will be assessed and given an individual plan for Elemental Diet (ED) introduction. The actual amount of ED prescribed will depend on the tolerance and palatability and not nutritional status. The recommendation of a minimum of 2 cartons of ED will be drunk orally by patients, along with other clear fluids only. Following introduction of ED, patients will be discharged from hospital (if applicable) and followed up for 2 weeks. They will have a telephone follow-up assessment once a week for 2 weeks. All other assessments will follow the standard of care. During the follow-up patients will be assessed using the Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale (MSAS) and will be asked to complete a nutritional diary every day and a quality of life questionnaire at several time points.

Treatment:

Dietary Supplement: Elemental 028 Extra Liquid