Effect of glutamine fortified enteral nutrition preparation on tolerance of early postoperative nutritional support and inflammatory response in the elderly after hip fracture surgery

Abstract

Objective To determine the effects of glutamine-enhanced nutritional intervention on the tolerance of early postoperative nutritional support and on the inflammatory response in elderly patients after hip fracture surgery. Methods A total of 113 elderly patients admitted to our hospital due to hip fracture from January 2019 to December 2020 were recruited in this study. According to the order of admission, they were divided into control group (n=57, routine nutrition intervention) and experimental group (n=56, nutritional intervention program with adjuvant glutamine enhancement). The incidences of postoperative nausea and vomiting, first postoperative anal exhaust time, first postoperative feeding time, thirst/hunger visual scale scores in 1 h before and after surgery, and serum levels of total protein, albumin and C-reactive protein, neutrophil percentage and white blood cell count on the third day after surgery were compared between the 2 groups. Results No reflux aspiration occurred in the both groups. There were no statistical differences between the 2 groups in the preoperative and postoperative 1-hour scores of thirst vision scale, preoperative 1-hour score of hunger vision scale, and the serum levels of total protein and albumin on the third postoperative day. The experimental group had significantly lower C-reactive protein level on the third day after operation (P < 0.05), earlier first exhaust of anus and first feeding (P < 0.01), higher postoperative 1-hour score of hunger vision scale (P < 0.05), and lower incidences of nausea and vomiting (P < 0.05) when compared with the control group. Conclusion The adjuvant fortified glutamine nutrition intervention program is helpful to improve the early postoperative enteral nutrition tolerance and to reduce postoperative inflammatory response in elderly patients after hip fracture surgery.

Keywords

• glutamine
• hip fracture
• aged
• nutrition intervention
• gastrointestinal tolerance