Surgical nutrition is something that is very important, and this covers both the pre and post-surgical periods. Without adequate nutrition, muscle wasting, immune dysfunction, and impaired
recovery can occur.
In general, encouraging adequate intake of nutrients, with a focus on ensuring adequate protein intake is important. Other than just diet, early mobilization is also important to facilitate protein synthesis and muscle function. If appetite is an issue, it may be advisable to work with a dietitian to
devise an oral diet, and work on preventing caloric and protein deficits.
Taking into account your patient's past medical history is also important when devising a suitable diet - for instance, in a post-angioplasty patient, there will likely be concomitant cardiovascular risk factors such as raised cholesterol, high blood pressure or diabetes, and these will also need to be taken into account when devising a diet.
