Peri-operative nutrition in cardiovascular surgery: current pitfalls and future directions

In the field of cardiovascular surgery, many areas are frequently evaluated to improve patient outcomes. Even though cardiac surgery has advanced significantly, peri-operative nutrition remains an area needing special attention and is under-considered in patient results. The three portions of cardiac surgical nutrition optimization are pre-operative, intra-operative and post-operative. All these, merit important clinical intervention which when done properly can significantly improve patient recovery and reduce morbidity and mortality. Here we provide a narrative review and recommendations for peri-operative nutritional optimization in cardiac surgery.