Nutrición Hospitalaria ()

Is duration of postoperative fasting associated with infection and prolonged length of stay in surgical patients?

  • Michelli Cristina Silva de Assis,
  • Carla Rosane de Moraes Silveira,
  • Mariur Gomes Beghetto,
  • Elza Daniel de Mello

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3305/nh.2014.30.4.7528
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 30, no. 4
pp. 919 – 926

Abstract

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Objective: Verify whether the postoperative fasting period increases the risk for infection and prolonged length of stay. Methods: Prospective cohort study. Elective surgery patients were included. Excluded: those with no conditions for nutritional assessment, admitted in minimal care units, as well as with 1 day of postoperative fasting increased the infection risk by 2.04 (CI95%: 1.20 to 3.50), ≥ 3 days 2.81 (CI95%: 1.4-5.8), and in fasting for more than 5 days the infection risk was 2.88 times higher (CI95%: 1.17 to 7.16). The risk for prolonged hospitalization was 2.4 (CI95%: 1.48 to 3.77) among patients who had ≥ 1 day fasting, 4.44 (CI95%: 2.0 to 9.8) and 4.43 times higher (CI95%: 1.73 to 11.3) among patients with ≥ 3 days fasting and more than 5 days, respectively. Conclusion: The longer duration of postoperative fasting was an independent risk factor both for infection and for prolonged hospital stay.

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