Researchers at Gangnam Severance Hospital have found that moderate intake of carbohydrate supplements or drinking water before surgery helped reduce patient discomfort and contributed to the post-surgery recovery.

The findings go against the commonly held conception that patients should not eat anything after midnight before the day of surgery, including water.

Patients, in general, had to refrain from eating for 12 hours to 20 hours, which makes it difficult for the patient while posing a negative impact on post-surgery recovery, by creating problems such as postoperative insulin resistance and inflammatory reactions.

Gangnam Severance Hospital Professor Park Joon-seong

Leading the team that conducted the study were Gangnam Severance Hospital Professor Park Joon-seong from the Liver Cancer Center and Professors Kim Ji-young, Song Young, and Lee Jeong-soo from the Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine.

They observed 153 patients who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy at Gangnam Severance Hospital from 2015 and 2016, using carbohydrate drinks to reduce the duration of pre-operative fasting.

Of the 153 patients who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy, 51 fasted from midnight until surgery. The other 51 patients drank 800 mL of carbohydrate drinks from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m., and 400 mL two hours before the surgery. The remaining 51 patients drank water in the same amount and at the same time as the second group.

The study revealed the fasting group had an average pulse rate of 75 to 80 beats per minute (bpm). The carbohydrate drink group had an average of 70 to 73 bpm, and the water drinking group had a 72 to 75 bpm average – indicating a significantly lower pulse rate than the fasting group.

The study also found no significant difference in blood pressure while the carbohydrate drink group required lower postoperative analgesic dose, although the difference was not statistically significant.

"Even though drinking beverages showed no large difference compared to complete fasting, drinking beverages is more beneficial considering patient comfort. The pulse rate was also more stable during the operation, and there was a more positive result regarding analgesic administration, even though the difference was small,” Professor Park said. "Regarding the beverage type, carbohydrate drinks may be more beneficial for hunger and reducing anxiety as well as post-surgical recovery than water."

The results of the study were published in the recent issue of the World Journal of Surgery.

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