Preoperative carbohydrate treatment for enhancing recovery after elective surgery

Abstract

Preoperative carbohydrate treatment was associated with a small reduction in length of hospital stay when compared with placebo or fasting in adult patients undergoing elective surgery. It was found that preoperative carbohydrate treatment did not increase or decrease postoperative complication rates when compared with placebo or fasting. Lack of adequate blinding in many studies may have contributed to observed treatment effects for these subjective outcomes, which are subject to possible biases.