Nutritional status and pre-operative fasting time for oncological patients submitted to surgery.

Abstract

ABSTRACT
Objective: To analyze the nutritional status and the preoperative fasting time of oncological patients undergoing surgical procedures.

Method: Quantitative approach study conducted with patients diagnosed with head and neck cancer and/or gastrointestinal tract submitted to surgery during the month of November 2020. A questionnaire was applied to collect clinical, surgical and therapeutic data and a nutrition evaluation was carried out through anthropometry (weight, height, calf circumference) and ASG-PPP tool application. The variables were analyzed according to the nature of the data.

Results: Twenty patients with a average age of 62.55 years were evaluated, 55% were female. 80% had moderate or severe malnutrition acording to ASG-PPP. The average preoperative fasting time was 14.21 hours. The average time between diagnosis and surgery was 158 days. There was no statistical difference between the duration of the therapeutic trajectory and the nutritional diagnosis.

Conclusion: The preoperative fasting time exceeds the guidelines of 8 to 12 conventional hours and 80% of patients had moderate or severe malnutrition according to the ASG-PPP tool. It is evident the need to develop protocols for shortening the preoperative fasting time, providing better conditions for postoperative recovery.

Keywords: Fasting. Neoplasy. Nutritional status. Medical oncology.