Post Operative Nutrition Clinical Trial
Official title:
Changes in Taste Perception and Preference in the Peri-operative Patient
It is well known that patients who have undergone major surgical procedures are vulnerable
to the consequences of inadequate calorie or nutritional intake. Clinical studies have
demonstrated that early post-operative feeding increases strength and healing of an
intestinal anastomosis, reduces surgical site infection and length of hospital stay. The
'Enhanced recovery programme', ERP, includes early post-operative nutrition as one of its
key goals, however there is no guidance on the type of food that should be offered to
patients in this programme. Anecdotally, many patients and healthcare professionals believe
that there are differences in how food tastes to early post-operative patients. If there are
changes in taste following surgery this will affect the food choices that patients make in
the early post-operative period. No studies have addressed this question to date. In this
study we hope to describe this affect and consider the significance of any changes on the
background of current hospital food options.
We hypothesise that food preference and tastes and desires are altered in the early post
operative period and this affects what patients eat at this critical time.
Nutrition is a vital component of good health and recovery from illness. It is particularly
clear that patients with chronic diseases and those who have undergone major surgical
procedures are vulnerable to the consequences of inadequate calorie or nutritional intake.
Over the last decade, surgical practices have evolved to encourage patients to resume early
enteral feeding in order to avoid post-operative under-nutrition. Inadequate nutrition has
previously been shown to be associated with prolongation of the acute phase response and
increased incidence of septic morbidity. More recently clinical studies have demonstrated
that early post-operative feeding increases strength and healing of an intestinal
anastomosis. Further to this there is also evidence of benefit to patients by reduction of
surgical site infections and other complications. Along with the cost saving of a lower
complication rate there are financial benefits from reduced mean length of hospital stay.
Over the last 5 years the importance of non-surgical factors in patient recovery or the
development of complications has been highlighted. This has resulted in the development and
near universal adoption of the 'Enhanced recovery programme (ERP)'. The ERP is a
multidisciplinary initiative aiming to improve the patients' journey by:
- Optimizing pre-operative health status
- Reducing postoperative complications and the surgical and physiological stress
responses by changing traditional surgical methods
- Early mobility
- Early feeding Post-operative nutrition is a key component to the ERP approach, however,
many units that run ERP have reported that encouraging early post operative patients to
increase their oral intake is difficult. Our own experience is that dysgeusia
(distortion of the sense of taste) is common in the postoperative group.
At present there are no publications in the literature on how best to support the delivery
of nutrition to this important group and there is no literature on food preferences in
patients who have recently undergone surgery. To date there has not been any research on the
subject of peri-operative taste changes outside of surgical fields that directly affect the
sensory system of taste (Ear, nose and throat surgery). Although there have been some
descriptive studies on calorie intake in the peri-operative period no studies have been
performed to confirm the existence of post-operative taste changes or to describe them.
In order to optimise recovery from surgery and as part of the ERP programme, patients should
be provided with food choices that encourage greater intake. It is known that optimising
early post-operative nutrition will contribute to early discharge and uncomplicated recovery
and have knock on benefits for inpatient costs. In order to provide this it is vital that we
consider the issue of presumed dysgeusia and its affect on food choices. In order to begin
this process the following study is proposed. It is hoped that the results of this study
will allow re-evaluation of hospital menus to optimise post-operative nutrition.
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Intervention Model: Single Group Assignment, Masking: Double Blind (Subject, Investigator), Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
| Status | Clinical Trial | Phase | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Not yet recruiting |
NCT06107959 -
Changes in Resting Metabolic Rate Following Orthopedic Surgery
|