Background: Fasting prior to anesthesia is considered aspiration prophylaxis. However, prolonged food and drink restrictions may increase the risk of other complications. The aim of this study was to assess whether a carbohydrate-enriched drink (Nutricia™ preOp®), recommended by the enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocol, can improve body hydration in fasting healthy individuals.
Methods: Measurements were done with the bioelectric impedance analysis with a Fresenius body composition monitor. Body composition, total body water, water distribution, and hemodynamic parameters were measured at the beginning of the study and after 10 h and 12 h of fasting. Patients fasted for 10 h and then were divided into two groups: the control (n = 40) and the pre-op group (n = 41). The pre-op group received 400 mL of Nutricia™ preOp®, as suggested in the ERAS guidance. The two-tailed Student's t test was used to compare two groups with normally distributed data and homogenous variances; if variances were heterogeneous, Welch's test was used. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare two groups with non-normal data distribution. p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results: We found no significant differences between the control and pre-op groups regarding body water distribution and body composition. We did not observe significant losses in the total body water after fasting. Also, blood pressure was not affected by fasting.
Conclusion: We have proven that pre-op did not impact either body composition or body water.
Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov , NCT04665349 . Registered on 11 December 2020-retrospectively registered.
Keywords: Bioelectrical impedance analysis; Dehydration; Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS); Extracellular water; Fasting; Intracellular water; Pre-op, Perioperative patient management; Total body water.
© 2021. The Author(s).