How to eat before and after surgery?

Fasting solid foods 6 hours before surgery, not drinking water before 2 hours and 24 hours after surgery can eat again if not contraindicated.

Surgery is a stressful situation for the body. In response to this stress, the body releases more hormones that increase metabolic needs so the body needs more energy. After surgery with wound healing, the body has an inflammatory response, activating the endocrine glands to produce substances similar to stress, so the demand for energy increases even more.

If nutrition is not good, it will slow wound healing, difficult to stop breathing machine, malnutrition, surgical site infection . thereby increasing mortality. Good nutrition will reduce hospital stay, reduce treatment costs, and reduce the rate of complications.

Should nutritional supplements by intravenous route?

Many studies have shown that oral nutrition is much better than intravenous fluids. Intravenous infusion also increases the risk of sepsis, peripheral vasculitis.

The intestinal system is a body's natural immune barrier that prevents the entry of bacteria into the blood, the liver also has this ability. Use intravenously only when there are contraindications to oral nutrition such as intestinal obstruction, acute peritonitis, hollow visceral perforation, acute pancreatitis .

Patients at risk of malnutrition should receive nutritional supplements, raising the overall condition at least 7 days before the program surgery. When entering the hospital, doctors evaluate the patient's nutrition through medical history, physical examination and support tests.

Good nutrition will reduce hospital stay, reduce treatment costs, and reduce the rate of complications.

Before the surgery, how should the person eat?

Prior to the program surgeries, patients had to fast to avoid the risk of inhalation of gastric juice into the airway during intubation anesthesia, because aspiration causes aspiration pneumonia, increasing the risk of death.

Recent studies have shown that fasting only 6 hours before surgery for solid foods, 2 hours for liquid water. When fasting longer, the body will use the stored glucose source in the liver and muscle, reducing muscle strength, blood sugar disorders, slow wound healing due to the process of increased protein catabolism after surgery. In patients on fasting for longer, the amount of gastric juice is not less and the risk of choking is not lower than in patients fasting 2 hours before surgery.

After surgery and when to eat again and how?

Postoperative should re-feed orally within 24 hours if there are no contraindications. Early nutrition after surgery significantly reduces mortality. Early nutrition maintains the mucus barrier of intestinal mucosa, thereby preventing bacteria from entering the bloodstream through the digestive tract. In the absence of contraindications, patients on resuscitation who require mechanical ventilation and vasopressors should also re-feed orally orally within 24 hours of gastric sonde.

According to recent randomized trial studies, early oral feeding with a severe patient who was resuscitated after surgery did not see any benefit compared to a group of patients receiving early parenteral nutrition. Pre-surgical patients are nourished intravenously for a long time, so nutrition should be restarted after intravenous surgery because of reduced gastrointestinal function after 7 days of not eating or drinking.

Good and proper nutrition requires coordination between medical staff and patients. Proper nutrition evaluation, timely intervention by health workers and patient compliance will improve and benefit the patient.

Doctor Luu Kinh Khuong - Doctor Vo Hoang Son
115 People's Hospital (HCMC)