Preoperative immunonutrition in liver resection-a propensity score matched case-control analysis

Area of Science:

• Hepatobiliary surgery
• Surgical oncology
• Clinical nutrition

Background:

• The role of preoperative nutritional support in liver resection is not well-established.
• Assessing the impact of immunonutrition on outcomes after liver surgery is crucial for patient management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare postoperative complication rates in patients undergoing liver resection who received preoperative immunonutrition versus those who did not.
• To evaluate the effect of a specific immunonutrition regimen (Oral-Impact) on overall, infectious, and major complications.

Main Methods:

• A study involving patients undergoing elective liver resection between 2007 and 2013.
• Comparison between a group receiving preoperative immunonutrition (n=84) and a control group (n=63).
• Propensity score matching was used to balance patient characteristics, resulting in 49 patients per group for analysis.

Main Results:

• No significant difference in overall complication rates between the immunonutrition group (53.0%) and the control group (51.0%).
• Infectious complications were 38.7% in the immunonutrition group versus 28.5% in the control group.
• Major complications occurred in 12.2% of the immunonutrition group compared to 10.2% in the control group.

Conclusions:

• Preoperative immunonutrition with Oral-Impact did not demonstrate a significant impact on reducing postoperative complications after liver resection.
• The study suggests that this specific immunonutrition protocol may not be beneficial for patients undergoing minor liver resections.