Active screening and nutritional support in elderly surgical patients can reduce muscle breakdown, catabolism, insulin resistance, and postoperative complications.
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Nutritional support may reduce complications in elderly surgical patients; leaves open need for RCTs before practice change.
Malnutrition is common among the elderly surgical patients. The surgical injuries to tissues cause a cascade of endocrine and metabolic changes which can impede full recovery after surgery. Active screening for malnutrition, proactive preoperative intervention and nutritional support postoperatively have all been shown to reduce breakdown of muscle mass, reduce catabolism and insulin resistance due to surgical injuries and reduce postoperative complications.
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Lim Sc (2017) studied this question.
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