1. The Role of the Enteral Route and the Composition of Feeds in the Nutritional Support of Malnourished Surgical Patients
- Author
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Luca Nespoli, Sara Coppola, Luca Gianotti, Nespoli, L, Coppola, S, and Gianotti, L
- Subjects
medicine.medical_specialty ,Pediatrics ,nutrition, undernutrition, surgery ,Nutritional Status ,lcsh:TX341-641 ,Review ,Enteral administration ,Preoperative care ,Gastrointestinal procedures ,Immunomodulation ,surgery ,Enteral Nutrition ,Postoperative Complications ,Risk Factors ,Preoperative Care ,MED/18 - CHIRURGIA GENERALE ,Humans ,Medicine ,Risk factor ,Intubation, Gastrointestinal ,immunonutrition ,Digestive System Surgical Procedures ,Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic ,Nutrition and Dietetics ,business.industry ,Malnutrition ,Nutritional status ,medicine.disease ,Surgery ,Parenteral nutrition ,Energy Intake ,business ,lcsh:Nutrition. Foods and food supply ,Food Science ,Surgical patients - Abstract
In surgical patients, malnutrition is an important risk factor for post-operative complications. In undernourished patients undergoing major gastrointestinal procedures, preoperative enteral nutrition (EN) should be preferred whenever feasible. It may be given either orally or by feeding tubes, depending on patient compliance. Early oral intake after surgery should be encouraged, but if an insufficient postoperative oral intake is anticipated, tube feeding should be initiated as soon as possible. The use of immunomodulating formulas offers significant advantages when compared to standard feeds and the positive results on postoperative complications seem independent from the baseline nutritional status. In malnourished patients, the optimal timing and dose of immunonutrition is unclear, but consistent data suggest that they should be treated peri-operatively for at least two weeks. © 2012 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
- Published
- 2012
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