Nutrition for the elderly after surgery

10/10/2024

After surgery, the elderly often have difficulty providing adequate nutrition for their bodies due to problems such as loss of appetite, indigestion and electrolyte imbalance. Meanwhile, nutrition plays an extremely important role in the recovery process, allowing the body to produce energy, repair damage and increase resistance. Creating a suitable diet not only helps shorten recovery time but also prevents possible complications, contributing to improving the quality of life of the elderly.

Elderly people in need of care after surgery, especially nutrition caring

1. The role of nutrition for the elderly after surgery

After surgery, the patient’s body needs to recover due to loss of blood and strength. This process depends on many factors such as overall health, exercise habits, and most importantly, providing enough energy and essential nutrients to enable quick recovery for the body.

After surgery, the patient’s body requires recovery due to blood loss and loss of strength, especially for the elderly, this stage becomes more complicated. The recovery process is affected by many factors such as overall health, exercise regimen and diet. In particular, ensuring nutrition is the most important factor in providing energy and essential nutrients, supporting the body to regenerate and recover effectively.

– First, the human body in general, regardless of age, male or female, after surgery, all need to be supplemented with adequate nutrients to restore and regenerate damaged cells. The diet needs to be diverse, including protein-rich food groups such as lean meat, fish, eggs, and milk to build and repair tissues after surgery.

Protein plays an important role in the body, especially after surgery

– In addition, the recovery process after surgery consumes a lot of energy. Therefore, the elderly need to be provided with enough calories to maintain health, perform daily activities and restore damaged tissues. The main source of energy is from carbohydrates found in foods such as rice, noodles, bread, sweet potatoes… However, the elderly need to pay attention to choosing whole grain starches to provide more fiber and B vitamins.

Foods that provide complex carbohydrates help stabilize blood sugar

– A weakened immune system due to aging is one of the reasons why wounds take a long time to heal and are susceptible to infection in the elderly. To increase resistance, the diet should prioritize foods rich in vitamin C such as oranges, tangerines, grapefruit, strawberries… because this vitamin helps strengthen the immune system through the mechanism of supporting the function of different cells in the immune system such as white blood cells and lymphocytes. In addition, foods rich in zinc such as seafood, beef, nuts, pumpkin, green beans are also very good for strengthening the immune system by stimulating the development of T lymphocytes and B lymphocytes, thereby creating a defense system against pathogens.

Vegetables and fruits provide vitamins that help strengthen the body’s immune system

– Finally, nutrition plays an important role in the wound healing process. Green vegetables and fresh fruits provide vitamins and minerals that enhance the recovery process, reduce post-operative complications, and speed up the wound healing process. In addition, the fiber in these foods is also very important for a stable digestive system, preventing constipation – a common problem after surgery. In particular, drinking enough water also helps provide moisture to the cells, supporting the absorption of nutrients, thereby healing wounds more effectively.

2. How to create a nutritional regimen for the elderly after surgery

The above has been clarified and proved the role and the reasons why nutrition is important for the elderly after surgery. From that, it can be seen that creating a suitable nutritional regimen is even more essential for the elderly. This needs to be based on the basic principles below:

– The post-operative diet should prioritize foods that are easy to digest and absorb to reduce the burden on the digestive system, which is already weak after surgery. You should choose soft, easy-to-chew foods such as porridge, soup, minced meat, and steamed fish. Avoid hard, fibrous foods, fried foods, and spicy foods as they can cause indigestion, bloating, and even slow down the wound healing process. For patients who have not had surgery on the digestive tract (exploratory endoscopy, biopsy, etc.), nutrition usually only needs to be infused on the first day after surgery. Patients should be fed early, they are able to drink milk and porridge water immediately after surgery for 1 day. After the patient has passed gas, the amount of food can be gradually increased, prioritizing foods that are easy to digest and absorb. For patients who have had surgery on the digestive tract (gastric resection, intestinal resection, etc.), nutrition needs to be infused for a longer period of time. When the patient can smell, the diet should start with porridge or milk, then gradually increase in quantity, quality and consistency of food.

Soft, liquid, and easy-to-chew foods are the most suitable choice for the elderly after surgery

– Instead of having 3 main major meals, the elderly after surgery should divide their meals into 5-6 small meals a day. Different small meals allow the body to absorb nutrients better, avoiding the state of being too full or too hungry. In addition, dividing meals also helps stabilize blood sugar, reduce the burden on the digestive system and increase the feeling of fullness for a long time.

– Postoperative nutrition is usually divided into three stages. In the first stage, i.e., 1 to 2 days after surgery, the patient often feels tired and has no appetite. At this time, it is necessary to supplement water and electrolytes to ensure adequate calorie supply for the body. In the middle stage, 3 to 5 days after surgery, the patient can pass gas, indicating that intestinal motility is gradually returning. Finally, there is the recovery stage, when the surgical wound has healed and potassium and blood levels have gradually returned to normal. As a general rule, at this stage, the body will need more calories, protein, fluids, vitamins and minerals. Because the patient’s health is different at each stage, the diet will also be adjusted, however it is still necessary to ensure adequate provision of some essential nutrient groups as mentioned above. In addition, patients also need to limit foods and fruits with hard, indigestible fiber such as bamboo shoots, sapodilla, guava, and chopped bones…

– Drinking enough water is very important to maintain fluid balance in the body, help organs function well and support the process of eliminating toxins. Elderly people after surgery often become dehydrated due to fever, vomiting or diarrhea, so they need to drink enough, about 8 glasses of water a day. In addition to filtered water, it’s recommended to drink more fruit juice, milk to supplement vitamins and minerals. In the early stages after surgery, if the patient cannot eat, intravenous fluids such as Glucose 5%, Glucose 30%, NaCl 0.9%, KCl 1 or 2 tubes can be given.

Elderly people need to be well hydrated after surgery

3. Remarks on nutrition for the elderly after surgery

Each person has a different constitution and health status, so the diet also needs to be adjusted to suit each individual. Consulting a doctor or nutritionist helps you better understand the appropriate diet, and allows you to build a scientific menu, fully meet nutritional needs, and avoid unnecessary mistakes or potential risks that can affect the patient’s recovery process.

In addition to diet, the elderly also need to supplement nutrients through nutritional products, especially products that support health recovery after surgery. As the digestive system often declines in old age, leading to effects on taste, chewing and absorption ability. If you only rely on daily food, the elderly after surgery may not be able to meet the body’s nutritional needs in time. Nutricare Gold is a nutritional product that supports health recovery for the elderly, researched and developed by scientists from Nutricare and the Nutricare Medical Nutrition Institute – USA (NMNI-USA).

Nutricare Gold contains 56 nutrients, including easily absorbed vegetable protein and whey protein from the US, providing essential amino acids for protein synthesis and immune cells, thereby enhancing resistance and supporting rapid health recovery. Soluble fiber FOS in the product helps enhance beneficial intestinal bacteria, stabilize digestion and limit constipation after surgery. In particular, the product contains Lactium, clinically proven to improve sleep, combined with magnesium and vitamin B6 to reduce stress and support deep sleep for the elderly after surgery.

In addition to powdered milk, Nutricare Gold is also available with ready-to-drink milk with a convenient screw-cap carton design, capacity 200ml. This is the recommended dosage to suit the nutritional needs of Vietnamese people for each use. Nutricare Gold is a suitable nutritional solution for the elderly, especially during the recovery period after surgery, helping to maintain an active and healthy life.

Each patient’s diet needs to be appropriately advised by a doctor or nutritionist

Another important thing to note for post-operative patients, especially the elderly, is that they should not refuse to exercise appropriately just due to the worry that vigorous exercise may cause tearing or slow down the healing of the surgical wound. In fact, performing appropriate gentle exercises can speed up the recovery process and avoid possible complications after surgery. Therefore, it is necessary to resume light activities after surgery. 

First of all, patients need to practice breathing properly, then cough and expectorate to push out phlegm in the lungs or throat, allowing to clear the respiratory tract, followed by muscle exercises to warm the body and improve blood circulation. The duration of exercise should be gradually increased every day and persisted so that the wound heals quickly and the body can recover more easily. However, do not practice on your own. Patients and their families need to consult a doctor to choose appropriate exercises, avoid overexertion, and observe symptoms during and after exercise to promptly handle any problems.

Postoperative activities for older adults require supervision and guidance.

During the recovery process, the patient’s health condition may change. Therefore, it is necessary to closely monitor signs such as weight, wounds, and digestive ability to promptly adjust the diet. If any unusual signs appear, notify the doctor immediately for appropriate, accurate, and timely advice. 

Conclusion: Nutrition plays a key role in the recovery process of the elderly after surgery. A balanced diet, combined with appropriate preparation, will support the digestive system to function stably, help the body absorb maximum nutrients, allow the elderly after surgery to recover quickly and effectively, regain health soon and live normally with family members in a happy old age.

References:

1.https://bvdkquangnam.vn/index.php/ao-to-nckh/tp-san-y-hc/4043-tng-cng-phc-hi-sau-phu-thut

2.https://driphydration.vn/cac-nhom-chat-va-nguon-cung-cap-nang-luong-cho-co-the/

3.https://www.vinmec.com/vie/bai-viet/carbohydrate-la-gi-va-co-tac-dung-gi-vi

4.https://www.vinmec.com/vie/bai-viet/vitamin-c-co-giup-tang-suc-de-khang-vi

5.htttps://www.vinmec.com/vie/bai-viet/vai-tro-cua-kem-voi-tang-cuong-mien-dich-va-tang-truong-cua-tre-vi

6.https://nreci.org/thuc-don-o-cu-cho-me-sinh-mo/

7.https://driphydration.vn/cac-nguyen-nhan-gay-mat-nuoc-sau-phau-thuat/

8.https://www.vinmec.com/vie/bai-viet/che-do-uong-de-vet-thuong-mau-lanh-vi

9.https://viendinhduongtphcm.org/vi/benh-ly-khac/dinh-duong-sau-phau-thuat.html

10.https://www.minhanhhospital.com.vn/vi/news/tin-tuc-su-kien-minh-anh/sau-phau-thuat-nen-an-gi-de-nguoi-benh-mau-lai-suc-949.html

11.https://benhvienthucuc.vn/10-dieu-can-biet-ve-che-do-an-uong-sau-phau-thuat/

12.https://www.vinmec.com/vie/bai-viet/luu-y-che-do-dinh-duong-sau-phau-thuat-vi

13.http://www.benhvienninhbinh.vn/huong-dan-che-do-van-dong-cho-benh-nhan-sau-mo

14.https://www.vinmec.com/vie/bai-viet/luu-y-che-do-dinh-duong-sau-phau-thuat-vi

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