In a study, preoperative exclusive enteral nutrition (EEN) correlated with lower incidences of skin and soft tissue infections, as well as intra-abdominal infections, in patients diagnosed with Crohn’s disease who were scheduled to undergo bowel resection surgery. This meta-analysis aimed to precisely gauge the correlation between preoperative EEN and total parenteral nutrition (TPN) and surgical outcomes in Crohn’s disease patients.

Databases like Scopus, Embase, and PubMed were comprehensively explored for comparative studies determining the influence of preoperative nutritional support on post-surgery outcomes in Crohn’s disease people undergoing surgery. For calculating pooled estimates of risk difference,  random effects modeling was employed. Utilizing I2, an assessment of heterogeneity was done.  

A total of 14 nonrandomized cohort studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria for analyzing EEN. Pooled data from these studies (874 EEN-managed and 1044 control subjects) illustrated a 2.1-fold drop in the relative risk of intra-abdominal septic complications among those getting preoperative EEN (relative risk 0.47, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.35-0.63, I2 = 0.0%).

Additionally, pooling of data from nine studies (638 EEN-managed and 819 control patients) indicated a 1.6-fold decline in the chances of skin and soft tissue infection (relative risk 0.63; 95% CI, 0.42-0.94, I2 = 42.7%). In terms of operative blood loss, length of bowel resected, or duration of surgery, no pivotal differences were witnessed. Regarding the nine studies examining TPN, no considerable differences were observed in infectious outcomes.

Preoperative nutritional optimization using EEN was linked to a diminished risk of infectious complications in Crohn’s disease-affected people. Therefore, preoperative nutritional support with EEN must be taken into consideration for optimizing outcomes in Crohn’s patients requiring surgery involving the intestines.