Ann Clin Nutr Metab.
2023 Aug;15(2):40-45. 10.15747/ACNM.2023.15.2.40.
Perioperative nutrition support: a narrative review
- Affiliations
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- 1Department of General Surgery, Topiwala National Medical College & B.Y.L. Nair Charitable Hospital, Mumbai, India
- KMID: 2545175
- DOI: http://doi.org/10.15747/ACNM.2023.15.2.40
Abstract
- Purpose
Proper nutrition and supplementation are paramount in surgical patients. Suboptimal nutrition status is increasingly recognized as an independent predictor of poor surgical outcomes. The purpose of this review is to highlight the need for nutritional protocols, with an emphasis on perioperative nutrition.
Current concept
Perioperative nutrition support is considered an adjunctive strategy in most centers, although it is proven to be the key in improving surgical outcomes. There is a need to increase the standards and formulate policies and protocols to optimize perioperative nutrition support. Components of perioperative nutrition include nutritional screening and assessment, prehabilitation, preoperative metabolic optimization and carbohydrate loading, postoperative early enteral feeding and perioperative parenteral nutrition, immunonutrition and micronutrients, and oral nutritional supplementation vs. hospital-based kitchen feeds. Supplemental parenteral nutrition becomes valuable when enteral nutrition alone cannot fulfil energy needs. In patients in the surgical intensive care unit who are dealing with hemodynamic instability, high levels of serum lactate unrelated to thiamine deficiency, acidosis, significant liver dysfunction, high blood sugar, and high blood lipid levels, parenteral nutrition must be started with caution. In the post-surgery care ward, it is advisable to administer up to 30 kcal/kg/day and 1.2–2 g/kg/day of protein.
Conclusion
The positive impact of comprehensive nutritional support and the importance of setting and executing standards must be highlighted. Emphasis should be placed on overcoming existing challenges in implementing nutrition therapy in current surgical practice, as better perioperative nutrition supports better surgical outcomes.
