Surgical patient

Successful surgical outcomes do not depend exclusively on skillful surgical technique but also on metabolic intervention therapy that takes into consideration the patient’s capacity to carry a metabolic load and provide adequate nutritional support. The surgery itself leads to a corresponding inflammation that extends surgical trauma and to a metabolic response to stress. A metabolic response is necessary for the achievement of proper healing and functional recuperation, but this requires nutritional therapy, especially when the patient is malnourished and the stress response and inflammation are prolonged.

Nutritional support for the surgical patient plays a very important and crucial role since nutritional intervention is a part of comprehensive peri-operative treatment. Peri-operative malnutrition has been associated with increased post-operative morbidity and mortality. It is imperative to carry out a nutritional assessment both before and after major scheduled surgery.

Inclusion of specific nutrients as part of nutritional support assists in:

• Improving the immune and inflammatory responses and protein synthesis
• Regulating the response to the aggression (catabolism, hyperglycaemia)
• Improving defence mechanisms
• Meeting metabolic-nutritional requirements
• Contributing to the body’s overall recovery.

Diets enriched with immuno-nutrients in the periods before and after operations can achieve up to 50 % reduction in infectious complications, surgery-related morbidity and hospital stays.