INTRODUCTION: Traditionally, @entity1 have been fasted from midnight on the night before elective surgery. With the advent of the enhanced recovery programme for elective colorectal surgery, there has been a major change in established practice with @entity1 able to continue with clear fluids up to two hours prior to surgery and solids up to six hours prior to surgery. It has been suggested that nutritional supplements in the immediate pre-operative period enhance post-operative recovery. The aim of this review was therefore critically to appraise the evidence available regarding the use of pre-operative @entity1735 ( @entity435 ) supplements for elective colorectal surgery. METHODS: A literature search was performed using: PubMed, MEDLINE(  ), Athens and Google Scholar. The following keywords were used: 'pre-operative', ' @entity1735 supplements', 'enhanced recovery' and 'colorectal surgery', singly or in combination. To ensure an up-to-date literature search, the search was restricted to the last ten years. To maximise the search, backward chaining of reference lists from retrieved papers was also undertaken. Only English language articles were included. CONCLUSIONS: The use of @entity435 drinks pre-operatively in colorectal surgery is both safe and effective. There is no increased risk of @entity1173 and it results in a shorter hospital stay, a quicker return of bowel function and less loss of muscle mass. On the basis of this evidence, the use of pre-operative @entity435 drinks should be standard in elective colorectal @entity1 . Further research is nevertheless required for those with @entity6 .

The role of XXXX drinks in pre-operative nutrition for elective colorectal surgery.

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['patients'] @entity6 :: ('MESH:D003920', 'Disease') :: ['diabetes mellitus'] @entity1735 :: ('CHEBI:16646', 'Chemical') :: ['carbohydrate'] @entity435 :: ('CHEBI:42485', 'Chemical') :: ['CHO'] @entity1173 :: ('MESH:D053120', 'Disease') :: ['aspiration']
@entity1735 :: (CHEBI:16646,Chemical) :: ['carbohydrate']
