Early oral feeding is the preferred mode of nutrition for surgical patients. Avoidance of any nutritional therapy bears the risk of underfeeding during the postoperative course after major surgery.
Considering that malnutrition and underfeeding are risk factors for postoperative complications, nutritional therapy is mandatory for any surgical patient at nutritional risk, especially for those undergoing upper gastrointestinal surgery.
The focus of this guideline is to cover nutritional aspects of the Enhanced Re-covery After Surgery (ERAS) concept and the special nutritional needs of patients undergoing major surgery, e.g. for cancer, and of those developing severe complications despit
Early oral feeding is the preferred mode of nutrition for surgical patients. Avoidance of any nutritional therapy bears the risk of underfeeding during the postoperative course after major surgery.