Actively Recruiting
Nutrition to Support Postoperative Recovery
Led by Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center · Updated on 2026-02-11
100
Participants Needed
1
Research Sites
42 weeks
Total Duration
On this page
Sponsors
D
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center
Lead Sponsor
H
Hitchcock Foundation
Collaborating Sponsor
AI-Summary
What this Trial Is About
Older surgical patients commonly have malnutrition, and there is evidence these patients have increased risk for poor physical and brain recovery after surgery and anesthesia. There are scientific-based recommendations to provide nutritional supplements to support recovery. However, to date these recommendations do not address a broad group of nutrients likely to reverse common deficiencies. Team members have created a palatable, broad-spectrum and stable nutritional shake that we will give to patients after surgery. We propose to test the nutritional shake in frail older surgical patients at Dartmouth Health to determine if a nutrition shake provided after surgery improves recovery of physical function and cognitive abilities. Half the patients will receive the shake and the other will receive the standard of care postoperative nutritional instructions after surgery. We will collect information regarding physical function and cognitive abilities of all the patients while in the hospital and 90 days after surgery. We will use this data to apply for funding for a powered randomized trial to determine the role of nutrition in optimizing physical and cognitive recovery from surgery in older patients.
CONDITIONS
Official Title
Nutrition to Support Postoperative Recovery
Who Can Participate
Eligibility Criteria
You may qualify if you...
- Patients aged 70 years or older having major orthopedic or abdominal surgery with planned inpatient stay of at least one night
You will not qualify if you...
- Emergency surgery
- Diagnosis of dementia or major psychiatric illness such as schizophrenia
- Parkinson's disease
- Inability to consent for themselves
- Unwilling or unable to complete all study requirements and measurements
- Any known food allergy
- Dislike of shake flavors
- Unwilling or unable to tolerate caffeine in the shake
- Unable to take oral nutrition
- Body mass index (BMI) greater than 45
- Diagnosis of an eating disorder
- Insulin dependent diabetes
- Contraindications to MRI scanning including metal in the body or eyes, pregnancy, or claustrophobia for those participating in the optional MRI component
AI-Screening
AI-Powered Screening
Complete this quick 3-step screening to check your eligibility
Trial Site Locations
Total: 1 location
1
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center
Lebanon, New Hampshire, United States, 03756
Actively Recruiting
Research Team
S
Stacie G Deiner, MD
CONTACT
A
Alexander R Roth, BA
CONTACT
How is the study designed?
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Masking
SINGLE
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Model
PARALLEL
Primary Purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Number of Arms
2
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