Work

Construction and application of home dietary management program for postoperative patients with preventive ileostomy for rectal cancer

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Background Rectal cancer is a highly prevalent malignant tumor, and surgery is one of the main treatment methods. Although preventive ileostomy can reduce postoperative complications, it is also prone to cause malnutrition and other problems. Objective To construct and validate an early postoperative home dietary management program for patients with preventive ileostomy for rectal cancer, aiming to improve their nutritional status and mitigate clinical ileostomy complications. Methods An evidence-based dietary management program was developed, covering dietary transition, nutrient intake, and fluid management. A non-concurrent controlled study was conducted with 66 patients at the Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine. The intervention group received personalized one-on-one dietary guidance (including pre-discharge assessment of dietary habits, individualized meal planning, and weekly WeChat-based follow-up for food diary reviews) in addition to routine health education, while the control group received routine education only. Results At 1 month postoperatively, the intervention group showed significantly better outcomes than the control group in serum albumin (41.00 g/L vs. 38.00 g/L, p = 0.010, r = 0.368), lymphocyte count (1.30 × 10?/L vs. 1.10 × 10?/L, p = 0.009, r = 0.374), and PG-SGA scores (9.85 vs. 10.94, p = 0.037, Cohen's d = 0.525). The intervention group had lower incidences of high-output stoma (HOS; 6.06% vs. 18.18%, OR = 0.29, 95% CI = 0.05–1.56, p = 0.258) and peristomal moisture-associated skin damage (PMASD; 18.18% vs. 24.24%, OR = 0.69, 95% CI = 0.21–2.29, p = 0.547), with positive clinical trends despite no statistical significance. Conclusion This home dietary management program can effectively improve short-term postoperative nutritional status in patients, and also plays a positive role in reducing the occurrence of HOS and PMASD.

Source: Frontiers in Nutrition

DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2025.1639987

Authors: Jianhua Zhu, Yuanjuan Shen, Juyun Li, Sainan Wang, Wenjuan Shang, Min Sun

Institution: Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine

Language: English

Topic: Stoma care and complications

Subfield: Surgery

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDGs: Good health and well-being, Zero hunger

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,801