Improvement of the nutritional condition with hypocaloric peripheral parenteral nutrition (HPPN) in the immediate postoperative period of elective abdominal surgery.

Thirty-one patients scheduled for elective surgery for non-malignant abdominal disease were randomized during the first five postoperative days to two different schedules. Group I received water, electrolytes and glucose. Group II received a standard solution containing crystalline amino acids (3.8 g/l), xylitol (25 g/l) and sorbitol (25 g/l), accounting for a total of 900 cal/day. Evaluation was made with clinical, anthropometric and biochemical parameters. Among others, the following significant differences were observed at the end of the study: retinol bound protein: in group I, 4.25 +/- 1.3 and in group II, 5.38 +/- 1.53 (p less than 0.05); prealbumin: in group I, 18.7 +/- 6.24 and in group II, 24.51 +/- 7 (p less than 0.05). The significantly higher values of short-life plasma proteins observed in group II indicate that with HPPN a higher synthesis of visceral protein is promoted. These data demonstrate that HPPN improves the nutritional state during the postoperative period.