Perioperative nutrition: Recommendations from the ESPEN expert group.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Malnutrition has been recognized as a major risk factor for adverse postoperative outcomes. The ESPEN Symposium on perioperative nutrition was held in Nottingham, UK, on 14-15 October 2018 and the aims of this document were to highlight the scientific basis for the nutritional and metabolic management of surgical patients. METHODS: This paper represents the opinion of experts in this multidisciplinary field and those of a patient and caregiver, based on current evidence. It highlights the current state of the art. RESULTS: Surgical patients may present with varying degrees of malnutrition, sarcopenia, cachexia, obesity and myosteatosis. Preoperative optimization can help improve outcomes. Perioperative fluid therapy should aim at keeping the patient in as near zero fluid and electrolyte balance as possible. Similarly, glycemic control is especially important in those patients with poorly controlled diabetes, with a stepwise increase in the risk of infectious complications and mortality per increasing HbA1c. Immobilization can induce a decline in basal energy expenditure, reduced insulin sensitivity, anabolic resistance to protein nutrition and muscle strength, all of which impair clinical outcomes. There is a role for pharmaconutrition, pre-, pro- and syn-biotics, with the evidence being stronger in those undergoing surgery for gastrointestinal cancer. CONCLUSIONS: Nutritional assessment of the surgical patient together with the appropriate interventions to restore the energy deficit, avoid weight loss, preserve the gut microbiome and improve functional performance are all necessary components of the nutritional, metabolic and functional conditioning of the surgical patient.

Health insurance or subsidy has universal advantage for management of hospital malnutrition unrelated to GDP.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Protein-energy and micronutrient malnutrition are global public health problems which, when not prevented and severe, require medical management by clinicians with nutrition expertise, preferably as a collectively skilled team, especially when disease-related. This study aimed to investigate barriers and facilitators of clinical nutrition services (CNS), especially the use of oral, enteral (EN) and parenteral (PN) nutrition in institutional and home settings. METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN: An international survey was performed between January and December 2014 in twenty-six countries from all continents. Electronic questionnaires were distributed to 28 representatives of clinical nutrition (PEN) societies, 27 of whom responded. The questionnaire comprised questions regarding a country's economy, reimbursement for CNS, education about and the use of EN and PN. RESULTS: The prevalence of malnutrition was not related to gross domestic product (GDP) at purchasing power parity (PPP) per capita (p=0.186). EN and PN were used in all countries surveyed (100%), but to different extents. Reimbursement of neither EN nor PN use depended on GDP, but was associated with increased use of EN and PN in hospitals (p=0.035), although not evident for home or chronic care facilities. The size of GDP did not affect the use of EN (p=0.256), but it mattered for PN (p=0.019). CONCLUSIONS: A worldwide survey by nutrition support societies did not find a link between national economic performance and the implementation of medical nutrition services. Reimbursement for CNS, available through health insurance systems, is a factor in effective nutrition management.

Management of acute intestinal failure: A position paper from the European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (ESPEN) Special Interest Group.

Intestinal failure (IF) is the consequence of a reduction of gut function below the minimum necessary for the absorption of nutrients from the gastrointestinal tract. Types I and II comprise acute intestinal failure (AIF). Although its prevalence is relatively low, type II AIF is serious and requires specialist multidisciplinary care, often for prolonged periods before its resolution. The key aspects are: sepsis control, fluid and electrolyte resuscitation, optimization of nutritional status, wound care, appropriate surgery and active rehabilitation. The ESPEN Acute Intestinal Failure Special Interest Group (AIF SIG) has devised this position paper to provide a state-of-the-art overview of the management of type II AIF and to point out areas for future research.