title: [Perioperative nutritional therapy].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There is no difference in medical and nutritional therapy between elderly and young surgical patients. However, based on the high prevalence of malnutrition or a risk for malnutrition and the associated risk for complications, elderly surgical patients should receive special attention.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This article addresses the options in perioperative nutritional therapy and gives an overview on current guidelines and study results.
  
  
  METHODS
  The article includes a literature review of current national and international guidelines in the field of surgery and geriatrics. Cochrane reviews, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and significant single studies are also included.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Contrary to former approaches, national and international organizations recommend to keep the duration of pre- and postoperative fasting as short as possible. The benefits of nutritional therapy in stabilization and improvement of the nutritional status of surgical patients has already been shown in several patient groups like patients undergoing major abdominal surgeries. For other patients groups, like patients with sepsis, further studies are needed to evaluate the benefit of a perioperative nutritional intervention.
authors.affiliation: Lehrstuhl für Geriatrie, Universität zu Köln, Kerpener Str. 62, 50937, Köln, Deutschland, ralf-joachim.schulz@cellitinnen.de.
authors.forename: R-J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Schulz
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maurmann
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Noreik
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D044342:Malnutrition / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D044623:Nutrition Therapy / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D019990:Perioperative Care / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D015995:Prevalence; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods; D016896:Treatment Outcome