Zinc supplementation for perioperative poor appetite of the patients who underwent open heart surgery or coronary artery bypass graft.

Abstract

Objective: The serum zinc level has been reported to decrease after invasive surgery. It has also been reported that a decreased serum zinc level may lead to poor appetite. This study examined changes in the serum zinc level after surgery, as well as the effect of oral zinc administration on patients with poor appetite, focusing on the maintenance of a favorable postoperative serum zinc level and mean length of hospital stay.

Subjects and Methods: Thirty-nine patients who underwent open heart surgery or coronary artery bypass graft surgery were classified into 2 groups: those with and without postoperative poor appetite. While the former were treated with zinc jelly supplements (Zn: 23 mg/day), the latter were regarded as controls. The serum zinc level was measured before surgery, 1 day after surgery, and on discharge, and changes in the value and the mean length of hospital stay were compared between the 2 groups.

Results: Changes in the serum zinc level in the poor appetite group became similar to those in the control group, and symptoms of poor appetite improved after the initiation of oral zinc administration. Their mean lengths of hospital stay were also similar.

Conclusion: It may be possible to improve poor appetite, and prevent decreases in the serum zinc level and prolonged hospitalization by administering zinc to patients with poor appetite during the perioperative period.