title: Pre-operative intravenous feeding--a controlled trial.
abstract: Seventy-four patients with a pre-operative diagnosis of stomach or oesophageal cancer were entered into a randomized, controlled clinical trial to assess the value of a short course of pre-operative intravenous nutrition. The effectiveness of this treatment was assessed by the clinical course and monitored by means of immune and biochemical profiles. Pre-operative parenteral nutrition given over a 7-10-day period resulted in a significant reduction in the incidence of postoperative wound infections. Clinical benefit was confined to those patients who had a low serum albumin on admission to hospital. It is doubtful whether this limited benefit justifies the routine use of intravenous feeding, with its attendant hazards, in the pre-operative preparation of patients with upper gastrointestinal cancer.
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010288:Parenteral Nutrition / Q000009:adverse effects; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000517:prevention & control; D011300:Preoperative Care / Q000379:methods*; D011897:Random Allocation; D012709:Serum Albumin / Q000032:analysis; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology / Q000601:surgery
chemical_list: D012709:Serum Albumin