ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND & AIMS: Peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC) is treated by cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC). Timely postoperative nutrition is required to reduce the risk of malnutrition and other complications; thus the present study aims to evaluate factors that may impact dietary progression following CRS/HIPEC treatment. METHODS: Forty-two patients undergoing CRS/HIPEC at a tertiary hospital were audited between April 2019 and August 2020. Patients were classified into two groups: fast dietary progression (FDP) and slow dietary progression (SDP), based on commencement of a full fluid diet (FF) within 7 days or after 7 days postoperatively. Between-group differences in patient characteristics, surgical factors and postoperative complications were evaluated statistically (significant at p<0.05). RESULTS: FDP and SDP groups comprised of 22 (52%) and 20 (40%) patients, respectively. A FF diet was established on a median of 7 (4.25 - 9.75) days, but not before day 2. Nineteen of the 31 (61.3%) patients receiving parenteral nutrition (PN) were in the SDP group (p = 0.009). The SDP group had longer surgery duration (p = 0.05), more gastrointestinal anastomoses (GIAs) (p = 0.02), more enterotomies (p = 0.008), higher rates of prolonged ileus (p = 0.007), longer duration to first bowel motion (p = 0.002), more returns to theatre (p = 0.03), higher Clavien Dindo scores ≥ IIIb (p = 0.01) and longer postoperative length-of-stay (p = 0.001), compared to the FDP group. CONCLUSIONS: Postoperative complications were associated with SDP in PC patients undergoing CRS/HIPEC. Strategies that aim to limit SDP through timely commencement of nutrition, including PN, are important to improve postoperative outcomes in this patient group.
