Feasibility of recruiting patients to Perioperative Nutrition Study.
Thank you for helping us design this trial and understand the feasibility of delivering this NIHR commissioned trial.
Trial Outline:
Over a million people aged over 75 have surgery each year in the UK. In 2021, 3.7 million UK adults over the age of 65 reported malnourishment, a number only set to increase with the rapidly rising cost of living. Being older, malnourished and undergoing major surgery are confounding risk factors for developing long-term health complications.
The trial will recruit ≈2500 people over the age of 65 years who are attending for elective surgery (duration >1hr) and ask them to commence oral nutrition 2 weeks before surgery and continue for the 3 months following surgery. We will approach patients in pre-operative surgical or anaesthetic assessment clinics and then use the interactions during the perioperative journey to assess them whilst a hospital in-patient and at post-operative outpatient clinic review after discharge home.
Participants will be randomised to receive either creatine supplements, carbohydrate supplements, or combined creatine and carbohydrate. These interventions will be compared to usual care.
The primary outcome measure will be DAH90 (Days alive and at home at 90days): secondary outcomes will include functional outcomes, health related quality of life and economic analysis.
Our trial will not be commissioned until 2025/26. Payments will be calculated to realistically fund specific research nurse time to see participants at three time points and to deliver a brief behavioural intervention, nutritional supplements and follow up assessments.