Table 5.

A common clinical pathway for distal, total and proximal gastrectomy

Clinical items	Date on the clinical pathway
Removal of nasogastric tube	Before or on postoperative day 1
Initiation of oral fluid intake	On or after postoperative day 1
Initiation of solid food intake	Between postoperative days 2–4
Prophylactic administration of antibiotics	Only on the day of operation
Removal of epidural tube	Before or on postoperative day 3
Removal of urinary catheter	Before or on postoperative day 3
Intravenous fluid administration	Until postoperative days 5–7
Removal of intra-abdominal drains	Before or on postoperative day 5
Discharge from the hospital	Between postoperative days 8–14