Improvement of nutritional care after colon surgery: The impact of early oral nutrition in the postanesthesia care unit

摘要

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of implementing early oral nutritional supplements in the postanesthesia care unit (PACU) after colon surgery. Design: A randomized controlled intervention study. Methods: Patients admitted for elective colon surgery were randomly assigned to either a group receiving early oral nutritional supplements (n=24) or traditional treatment with water or lemonade (n=22) in the PACU. Finding: On the second postoperative day, patients in the early nutritional supplement group had a higher cumulative intake of energy (P=.019) and protein (P=.015) compared with the traditional treatment. Postoperative nausea and vomiting, pain, length of stay in the PACU, and need of a nasogastric tube did not differ significantly between the groups. Conclusions: The nutritional course for patients undergoing colon surgery can be improved by implementing early oral nutritional supplements in the PACU.