Effect of prolonged starvation on the body preoperatively and the role of carbohydrate loading

Authors

  • Abdulkarim Mohammad Alhassoun Department of Anaesthesia, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
  • Fahad Hussain Kammas Department of Emergency Medicine, King Fahad General Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
  • Mohammed Yousif Alaissawi Department of Intensive Care Unit, AlOmran General Hospital, Alahsa, Saudi Arabia
  • Walaa Mohamed Hasan Department of Internal Medicine, King Khalid Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
  • Nouf Mohammed Alrabiah College of Medicine, King Faisal University, Alahsa, Saudi Arabia
  • Saja Butti AlHarbi College of Applied Medical Sciences, Clinical Nutrition, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia
  • Othman Mohammed Alshahrani College of Medicine, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia
  • Anas Sultan Kabli College of Medicine, Shaqra Medical University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
  • Sami Abdullah Aljabr College of Medicine, Shaqra Medical University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
  • Enass Farouk Aboshoushah Department of Intensive Care Unit, King Abdulaziz Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
  • Mohammed Khaled Alanazi Department of Emergency Medicine, Imam Abdulrahman Al Faisal Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
  • Mohamad Abdulkarim Alhassoun College of Medicine, Alfaisal University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20212365

Keywords:

Surgery, Fasting, Perioperative, Management, Metabolism

Abstract

Although recent reports discourage preoperative overnight fasting, many clinicians and surgeons still recommend 6-8 hours of overnight preoperative fasting before conducting elective surgeries. On the other hand, recent guidelines from worldwide multiple anesthesiology societies have suggested that overnight fasting should be approached with flexible durations and proper techniques. Many complications can result from prolonged fasting and preoperative starvation as the duration of fasting usually lasts for more than 12 hours secondary to intraoperative surgical delays. In this literature review, the aim was to discuss the current evidence from studies in the literature about the effect of preoperative starvation and the effect of carbohydrate (CHO) loading on the clinical outcomes of patients. We have noticed that gastric aspiration and respiratory damage can be prevented by preoperative fasting. However, this can lead to the development of other complications such as insulin resistance, a fierce immune response and exaggerated release of acute-phase reactants which might lead to severe organ damage and worsened patient’s prognosis. Accordingly, CHO loading should be carefully approached to properly intervene against these cases to enhance the prognosis of the prospective surgeries and the quality of care for patients.

 

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Published

2021-06-25

How to Cite

Alhassoun, A. M., Kammas, F. H., Alaissawi, M. Y., Hasan, W. M., Alrabiah, N. M., AlHarbi, S. B., Alshahrani, O. M., Kabli, A. S., Aljabr, S. A., Aboshoushah, E. F., Alanazi, M. K., & Alhassoun, M. A. (2021). Effect of prolonged starvation on the body preoperatively and the role of carbohydrate loading. International Journal Of Community Medicine And Public Health, 8(7), 3618–3623. https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20212365

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Review Articles