Perioperative Oral Decontamination and ImmunoNuTrition (POINT) in Elderly

Overview

The goal of this multicenter randomized controlled trial is to explore the efficacy of perioperative oral decontamination and immunonutrition supplement to prevent postoperative pulmonary complications in elderly patients(≥65 years) receiving elective non-cardiac operations. Participants will be either given immunonutrition supplement versus routine nutrition advice, and oral chlorhexidine decontamination versus routine oral care randomly. The two interventions will be compared with control groups separately regarding postoperative pulmonary complications and other outcomes.

This study is a prospective, multicenter, two-by-two factorial randomized controlled trial evaluating the efficacy of immunonutrition supplementation and oral chlorhexidine decontamination. Patients aged 65 years and older who are scheduled for elective non-cardiac surgeries will be recruited. Participants will be excluded if they have contraindication to the intervention. The patients will be randomized into four groups in 1:1:1:1 ratio (oral decontamination vs routine oral care, immunonutrition supplementation vs routine nutrition advice). The primary outcome is the incidence of postoperative pulmonary complications within 7 days after surgery. Secondary outcomes include incidence of pneumonia, infectious complications, comprehensive complication index, postoperative functional recovery, length of hospital stay and hospital expense.

Conditions