[Nutritional habits and protein status of surgical patients during the preclinical phase]. / Ernhrungsgewohnheiten und Proteinstatus von chirurgischen Patienten in der präklinischen Phase

ABSTRACT

In this study the importance of nutrition during the preoperative period has to be find out. Three methods are helpful in it 1. anamnesis of nutrition; 2. status of the subcutaneous fat tissue by measuring the skinfolds with a Harpenden-Caliper; 3. proteinstatus. 24 patients after gastric surgery and 20 patients of a control group were investigated. There was found a loss of weight inabout half of these 24 "gastric patients" preoperatively. These special patients showed a malnutrition in their anamnesis, thin skinfolds, low serum albumin and total protein concentration and a decreased concentration of immunoglobulins. They got six times more infectious complicationes than the patients without a preoperative loss of weight. It is proposed to develop an adequate plan for preoperative and post-operative nutrition.