Abstract Background Perioperative nutrition is a cornerstone of enhanced recovery in gastrointestinal cancer surgery, with international guidelines recommending early oral intake and standardized screening. This study aimed to assess current perioperative nutrition practices in German surgical departments and evaluate their alignment with guideline-based recommendations. Methods A nationwide cross-sectional survey was conducted between September 18, 2024, and January 2, 2025, involving surgical departments that perform major gastrointestinal cancer resections. The 93-item anonymous questionnaire addressed pre- and postoperative nutrition strategies related to esophagectomy, gastrectomy, pancreatoduodenectomy and colorectal resections. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the responses. Results A total of 263 hospitals participated in the survey. More than one-third of hospitals (35.1%) reported no routine preoperative malnutrition screening and only 6.7% performed a structured nutritional assessment. There was no consistent agreement on postoperative feeding strategies including the timing of oral intake especially in upper gastrointestinal surgery. Nasogastric tubes were routinely placed postoperatively in 66 .1% of gastrectomies, 63.5% of esophagectomies, and 64.6% of pancreatoduodenectomies, but timing of postoperative removal varied widely. Hospitals with higher levels of care (e.g. university or maximum care hospitals) were significantly more likely to perform routine malnutrition screening ( p = 0.002) and to allow early drinking after colorectal surgery ( p < 0.001). The presence of structured nutrition support teams was associated with higher rates of guideline-compliant preoperative screening (76.3% vs. 47.4%; p < 0.001). Conclusion Perioperative nutrition practices in German gastrointestinal cancer surgery vary considerably and often deviate from established guidelines.These findings underline the need for greater standardization and broader adoption of evidence-based perioperative nutrition strategies to ensure optimal patient outcomes.
Strobel et al. (Mon,) studied this question.