Nutritional management in the perioperative period

Abstract

It is well known that nutritional status and infection are closely correlated. Nutritional management is essential for the prevention and treatment of perioperative infections. It is of utmost importance to first assess the nutritional status of the patients and identify who need nutritional treatment. Then optimal nutritional therapy should be provided to those patients. Especially in the upper gastrointestinal surgical patients, they are often malnourished before surgery and postoperative oral intake is often insufficient. Nutrition should be given via the intestine whenever possible. However, if is not possible or inadequate, parenteral nutrition should be used without delay.