Effects of the use of oral nutrition supplements on clinical outcomes among patients who have undergone surgery for hip fracture: A literature review

Abstract

Older adults who have undergone surgery for hip fracture are often malnourished or at risk for malnutrition, and providing oral nutrition supplements is a common intervention used to help meet nutrition needs postoperatively among this population. A literature search was conducted to examine the effects of oral nutrition supplementation on postoperative outcomes among patients ≥55 years old who had undergone surgery for hip fracture. Three randomized controlled trials that met inclusion criteria are examined in this review. Findings suggest that the use of oral nutrition supplements is not associated with decreased hospital length of stay but is associated with improvements in markers of sarcopenia and functional status. Additionally, the literature implies that oral nutrition supplements containing calcium beta‐hydroxy‐beta‐methylbutyrate may have the most benefit for improving postoperative outcomes. This review concludes that oral nutrition supplement use can be incorporated as a part of routine protocols for patients who have had surgery to repair a hip fracture. However, given some inconsistent findings, future research is needed to support the inclusion of oral nutrtition supplement use in clinical practice guidelines for this population. Furthermore, future research should explore how the use of oral nutrition supplements with calcium beta‐hydroxy‐beta‐methylbutyrate compares with the use of oral nutrition supplements without this ingredient.

Relationship between the perioperative prognostic nutritional index and postoperative gait function in elderly hip fractures

“…One nutritional intervention for malnourished patients is the use of high-protein, high-calorie oral nutritional supplements (ONS) [ 23 ]. The intake of essential amino acids is required for muscle synthesis and effectively improves muscle strength [ 24 ].…”

The Role of Perioperative Nutritional Status and Supplementation in Orthopaedic Surgery

“…In patients with normal renal function, protein intake of 2 g/kg/d has been proposed to aid bone healing, maintain lean muscle mass, and reduce complications 75,81,82 . Incorporation of hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate (HMB), a metabolic product of leucine, in oral nutritional supplementation has been shown to improve postoperative outcomes after hip fracture by preserving muscle mass and improving sarcopenia markers 77 .…”

“…Three randomized controlled trials have suggested that use of a high-protein, high-calorie oral nutrient supplement was associated with improvements in markers of sarcopenia and functional status 77-80 . In patients with normal renal function, protein intake of 2 g/kg/d has been proposed to aid bone healing, maintain lean muscle mass, and reduce complications 75,81,82 .…”