Intensive nutrition in ulcerative colitis. Influence on postoperative morbimortality
Morales, H.; Maiz, A.; Zúñiga, A.; Quintana, C.
Revista Medica de Chile 117(3): 293-297
1989
ISSN/ISBN: 0034-9887 PMID: 2518702 Document Number: 343332
Out of 103 consecutive patients with ulcerative cholitis, 37 required surgery. We compared perioperative morbidity and mortality in 18 patients receiving intensive nutritional care with 9 controls. An increase in serum albumin form 2.8 +/- 0.5 to 3.4 +/- 0.4 mg/dl (p less than 0.01) and lymphocytes from 1210 +/- 614 to 1736 +/- 770 (p less than 0.05) was observed in the first group, but not in the second. No deaths, shorter hospital stay and fewer complications were observed in the first group. We conclude that intensive nutritional care should be routinely used in patients with severe ulcerative cholitis requiring surgery.