Why the study?
Does an elemental diet reduce wound infections or complications in patients prepared for colonic surgery?
Does an elemental diet reduce wound infections or complications in patients prepared for colonic surgery?
An elemental diet for preoperative preparation of the colon does not confer advantages in reducing wound infections or altering colonic microflora compared to control.
Does not support elemental diet for colonic surgery prep; hypothesis-generating and requires randomized confirmation before any practice consideration.
In a study comparing patients prepared for colonic surgery with an elemental diet (Vivonex) with a control group there was no significant difference in incidence of wound infection or other complications between groups. Furthermore, there was no change in the population levels of the colonic microflora nor were the numbers of species decreased after 2-4 days on the diet. Although in most cases aiding in the mechanical preparation of the colon, the elemental diet has not been shown to confer any other advantage.
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Gurry et al. (1976) studied this question.