Perioperative nutrition support for patients undergoing gastrointestinal surgery: critical analysis and recommendations.

There is a high incidence of malnutrition in hospitalized patients undergoing gastrointestinal surgery. Malnutrition is clearly associated with increased morbidity and mortality after major gastrointestinal surgery. The efficacy of perioperative nutrition support to reduce surgical complications and mortality significantly has been an area of active clinical investigation over the past three decades. From multiple prospective, randomized trials, significant benefit from perioperative nutritional support has been demonstrated in severely malnourished patients undergoing major surgery. Results of the prospective, randomized trials studying the effects of perioperative nutrition support on patients undergoing gastrointestinal surgery are reviewed and critically analyzed.