Variances of dietary preparation for suppression of physiological 18F-FDG myocardial uptake in the presence of cardiac sarcoidosis: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) is used in the diagnosis and management of patients with cardiac sarcoidosis (CS). Various preparation protocols have been proposed to minimise myocardial 18F-FDG uptake and improve scan readability. The aim of this systematic review was to identify the optimal dietary prescription for suppression of physiological 18F-FDG myocardial uptake to enhance clinical diagnosis of CS. METHODS AND RESULTS: MEDLINE and PubMed databases identified 13 studies meeting inclusion criteria for review. Articles were assessed using the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council levels of evidence and categorised as sarcoidosis (human) or non-sarcoidosis (human, animal). Visual uptake scales (qualitative) and/or standardised uptake values (SUV) (quantitative) were used in all the studies reviewed. Nine of 11 human studies showed statistically significant improvements in PET scan interpretation with carbohydrate-restricted diets compared with fasting only, and when carbohydrates were restricted for a longer period of time. Two animal studies showed statistically significant improvements following very low carbohydrate diet preparation (0.01% and 0.4% carbohydrate diets) compared with higher carbohydrate diets. CONCLUSIONS: Variation in measures used, dietary prescriptions, fasting times, species and study quality makes result comparison and applicability difficult. Definitive dietary recommendations are not possible based on current evidence.

A qualitative exploration of factors influencing medical staffs' decision-making around nutrition prescription after colorectal surgery.

BACKGROUND: Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) guidelines recommend early oral feeding with nutritionally adequate diets after surgery. However, studies have demonstrated variations in practice and poor adherence to these recommendations among patients who have undergone colorectal surgery. Given doctors are responsible for prescribing patients' diets after surgery, this study explored factors which influenced medical staffs' decision-making regarding postoperative nutrition prescription to identify potential behaviour change interventions. METHODS: This qualitative study involved one-on-one, semi-structured interviews with medical staff involved in prescribing nutrition for patients following colorectal surgery across two tertiary teaching hospitals. Purposive sampling was used to recruit participants with varying years of clinical experience. The Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) underpinned the development of a semi-structured interview guide. Interviews were audio recorded, with data transcribed verbatim before being thematically analysed. Emergent themes and sub-themes were discussed by all investigators to ensure consensus of interpretation. RESULTS: Twenty-one medical staff were interviewed, including nine consultants, three fellows, four surgical trainees and five junior medical doctors. Three overarching themes emerged from the data: (i) Prescription preferences are influenced by perceptions, experience and training; (ii) Modifying prescription practices to align with patient-related factors; and (iii) Peers influence prescription behaviours and attitudes towards nutrition. CONCLUSIONS: Individual beliefs, patient-related factors and the social influence of peers (particularly seniors) appeared to strongly influence medical staffs' decision-making regarding postoperative nutrition prescription. As such, a multi-faceted approach to behaviour change is required to target individual and organisational barriers to enacting evidence-based feeding recommendations.

Food avoidance in outpatients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease - Who, what and why.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Food avoidance is common with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) and adherence to dietary guidelines is poor, contributing to under and over nutrition. Reasons for food avoidance have not been previously explored in detail. This study of IBD outpatients aimed to describe food avoidance patterns and rationale behind this, and describe source and confidence with dietary advice. METHODS: A prospective cross-sectional study using structured interview, nutritional assessment and medical record review was conducted in patients with confirmed diagnosis of IBD (n = 117) attending outpatient clinics over a six-month period. Participants were interviewed on foods avoided, rationale for food avoidance and previous dietary advice (source and confidence). Means ± SD or medians (IQR), percentages and counts were used to describe participant characteristics, food avoidance, and source and confidence in dietary advice. Bivariate analysis was used to explore relationships between food avoidance and disease factors (IBD subtype; disease activity: active disease vs remission), and between confidence in dietary advice and disease activity. RESULTS: Almost all participants reported food avoidance (90%), with more foods avoided during active disease (5.2 ± 3.6 foods/food categories, versus remission 2.9 ± 2.5, p < 0.001). Lactose-containing foods were avoided by 40% of patients in active disease and 33% in remission. Pain/cramping, increased bowel motions and diarrhea were the most common reasons for avoiding foods/food categories during both active disease and remission. Participants were most confident in advice received from the internet (3.3 ± 1.2; dietitian: 2.8 ± 1.5) in active disease; in remission participants had greatest confidence in advice received from gastroenterologists (4.1 ± 0.8; dietitian: 3.5 ± 1.2). CONCLUSION: High prevalence of avoidance of nutritious foods and low confidence in dietetic advice amongst people with IBD is of concern. Further work is needed to build trust and ensure patients are provided with evidence-based nutrition recommendations to manage their symptoms whilst optimizing nutritional quality of their diet.

Early oral feeding after colorectal surgery: A mixed methods study of knowledge translation.

AIM: Evidence-based guidelines recommend early oral feeding (EOF) as prescription of an unrestricted diet within 24 hours after colorectal surgery. The present study aimed to understand local postoperative feeding practices after colorectal surgery; identify barriers to EOF implementation; select, tailor and implement stakeholder engagement strategies to facilitate EOF uptake; and evaluate changes to practice. METHODS: A longitudinal, mixed methods study was undertaken, guided by the knowledge-to-action framework. Phase 1 assessed the nature of the problem using postoperative diet Audits 1 and 2. In Phase 2, staff interviews identified barriers to EOF implementation. Results from Phases 1 and 2 were fed back to inform Phase 3 strategies. Knowledge uptake was monitored in Audits 3 and 4. Phase 4 evaluated outcomes from Audit 5. RESULTS: In Phase 1, median time to commencement of full diet was postoperative Days 4 and 3 in Audits 1 and 2, respectively. Phase 2 identified EOF barriers, including disparities in diet upgrade practices and variable understanding of hospital diets. In Phase 3, planned strategies were implemented to improve EOF (i) educational session describing local hospital diets; (ii) consultant decision to prescribe a full diet on operation notes; and (iii) educational sessions with nursing staff describing changes to EOF practice. In Phase 4, median time to commencement of full diet improved to postoperative Day 0. Patients prescribed a full diet on operation notes increased from 0% to 82%. CONCLUSIONS: The present study successfully identified and overcame local barriers to improve EOF practices to align with guideline recommendations.