The influence of preoperative nutritional status on the outcomes of an enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) programme for colorectal cancer surgery

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of preoperative nutritional status on the short-term outcomes of an enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) programme for colorectal cancer surgery. This prospective observational study included 149 patients who underwent elective resection of colorectal cancer with ERAS from January 2011 to January 2014 in a university hospital. Subjective global assessment (SGA) was used to determine preoperative nutritional status. Primary outcomes included the length of postoperative stay, postoperative morbidity, gastrointestinal recovery, and 30-day readmission. The patients were divided into 3 groups according to the SGA classification. There were 96 patients (64.4 %) in SGA-A (well-nourished), 48 (32.2 %) in SGA-B (mild to moderately malnourished), and 5 (3.4 %) in SGA-C (severely malnourished). Patients in SGA-A had the median length of postoperative stay of 4 days (range 2-23), which was significantly shorter compared to SGA-B (5 days; range 2-16; p < 0.01) and SGA-C (7 days; range 4-17; p < 0.01). The overall complication rates of SGA-A, SGA-B, and SGA-C patients were 11, 31 % (adjusted OR 3.76; 95 % CI 1.36-10.36; p < 0.01) and 40 % (adjusted OR 2.15; 95 % CI 0.07-63.64; p = 0.66). Mean time to resumption of normal diet and time to first defecation were 1.6 +/- 1.3 and 2.2 +/- 0.9 days in SGA-A, 2.6 +/- 1.7 and 3.1 +/- 1.6 days in SGA-B (p < 0.01 compared to SGA-A) and 3.2 +/- 2.4 days and 2.6 +/- 1.5 days in SGA-C (p = 0.07 and p = 0.1 compared to SGA-A, respectively). No 30-day mortality occurred in any group. One patient in SGA-A (1 %), and 3 patients in SGA-B (6 %) had unplanned 30-day re-admission; p = 0.11. Within an ERAS programme for colorectal cancer surgery, malnourished patients were at risk for increased postoperative morbidity, delayed recovery of gastrointestinal function, and prolonged length of hospital stay.