title: Perioperative nutrition support for patients undergoing gastrointestinal surgery: critical analysis and recommendations.
abstract: There is a high incidence of malnutrition in hospitalized patients undergoing gastrointestinal surgery. Malnutrition is clearly associated with increased morbidity and mortality after major gastrointestinal surgery. The efficacy of perioperative nutrition support to reduce surgical complications and mortality significantly has been an area of active clinical investigation over the past three decades. From multiple prospective, randomized trials, significant benefit from perioperative nutritional support has been demonstrated in severely malnourished patients undergoing major surgery. Results of the prospective, randomized trials studying the effects of perioperative nutrition support on patients undergoing gastrointestinal surgery are reviewed and critically analyzed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Division of Surgical Oncology, School of Medicine, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, 3400 Spruce Street, 4 Silverstein Building, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA.
authors.forename: M H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Torosian
mesh_terms: D013505:Digestive System Surgical Procedures; D004750:Enteral Nutrition; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D009748:Nutrition Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D018529:Nutritional Support / Q000145:classification / Q000379:methods; D010288:Parenteral Nutrition; D010289:Parenteral Nutrition, Total; D019990:Perioperative Care; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D015996:Survival Rate