Impact of Carbohydrate Ingestion Prior to Urologic Surgery to Improve Patient Outcomes

About 50 million major surgeries are performed annually in the United States. Longer duration surgeries increase metabolic demand and impose a greater risk of infections and worse outcomes than shorter duration surgeries. The release of hormones and catecholamines from surgery dampens the body's response to insulin which leads to acute insulin resistance. Even though the insulin resistance eventually resolves within weeks of surgery, metabolic stress during that window of time makes patients susceptible to infection and tissue catabolism. Therefore, there is a critical need to improve perioperative management of high-risk patients to decrease complications associated with major surgery which remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in these patients.

Up to 40% of patients undergoing major operations experience perioperative hyperglycemia (>140 mg/dL). Perioperative hyperglycemia has been implicated in increasing risk of perioperative complications including surgical site infection, reoperation, and mortality. With 50 million surgeries performed each year, preoperative optimization is essential for favorable postsurgical outcomes. A long-held dogma of prolonged fasting prior to the administration of anesthesia has slowed the adoption of consumption of carbohydrate drinks before surgery despite data showing a lower surgical stress response and decreased insulin resistance along with improved patient satisfaction. Multidisciplinary consensus has been necessary to implement change. The Enhanced Recovery after Surgery (ERAS) Society has shifted practice to optimize multidisciplinary perioperative care and one main tenet includes preoperative carbohydrate loading. While the dose and type vary across institutions and practices, the American Society of Enhanced Recovery/Perioperative Quality Initiative joint consensus statement and the American Society of Anesthesiologists recommend consumption of a preoperative beverage containing ≥50 g of carbohydrate (CHO) for surgical patients 2-3 hours prior to surgery. Despite this recommendation, the practice of preoperative oral intake has still lagged with only 20% adherence in surgical care pathways.