Effects of preoperative nutritional support on colonic anastomotic healing in malnourished rats.
OBJECTIVE
It has been proven that malnutrition increases postoperative morbidity and mortality, and it may also negatively affect wound healing in the gastrointestinal tract. In the literature, there is only one study evaluating the effects of preoperative nutritional support on colonic anastomotic healing under malnourished conditions. In order to improve the data on this topic, an experimental study was planned to evaluate the effects of preoperative nutritional support on colonic anastomotic healing in malnourished rats.


METHODS
The study included 18 male Wistar albino rats divided into 3 groups. The control (C) group was fed ad libitum for 21 days. The malnutrition (M) group and preoperative nutrition (P) group were given 50% of the daily food consumed by the rats in Group C for 21 days to induce malnutrition. At the end of 21 days, Group P was fed ad libitum for 7 days (preoperative nutritional support). Colonic transection and end-to-end anastomosis was performed at 21 days in Group C and Group M and at 28 days in Group P. The rats were sacrificed at postoperative 4 days, anastomotic bursting pressure was measured, and samples were taken to analyze tissue hydroxyproline levels.


RESULTS
Anastomotic bursting pressure was significantly higher in Group C than in Group M and Group P (p<0.05), and it was significantly higher in Group P than in Group M (p<0.05). Tissue hydroxyproline levels in Group P were found to be significantly higher than those in Group M and Group C (p<0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
One week of preoperative nutritional support increases collagen synthesis in the colon and positively affects anastomotic healing under malnourished conditions.
Clinic of General Surgery, Atatürk Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
Rıza Haldun
RH
Gündoğdu
Clinic of General Surgery, Darende Hulusi Efendi State Hospital, Malatya, Turkey.
Uğur
U
Yaşar
Clinic of General Surgery, Atatürk Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
Pamir Eren
PE
Ersoy
Clinic of General Surgery, Dr. Hulusi Alataş Elmadağ Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
Emre
E
Ergül
Afyon Public Health Laboratory, Biochemistry, Afyon, Turkey.
Semra
S
Işıkoğlu
Department of Biostatistics, Ankara University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.
Atilla
A
Erhan
Malnutrition; anastomotic healing; nutritional support