What this Trial Is About

Researchers are investigating the effects of oral decontamination and immunonutrition supplements on preventing lung complications after surgery in elderly patients aged 65 years and older. This multicenter randomized controlled trial focuses on individuals undergoing elective non-cardiac surgeries under general anesthesia. The study aims to compare these two interventions against standard care to see if they reduce postoperative pulmonary complications and other related outcomes. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of four groups: receiving immunonutrition supplements or routine nutrition advice, and using oral chlorhexidine rinse or routine oral care. The immunonutrition supplement, ORAL IMPACT™, will be taken from recruitment until the day before surgery. The oral chlorhexidine rinse (0.12%) will be used twice daily starting the day before surgery until three days after surgery. The trial will assess each intervention separately regarding their impact on postoperative lung complications. Throughout the study, participants will be monitored for pulmonary complications within seven days after surgery, including pneumonia and other infections. Researchers will also evaluate overall recovery, hospital stay length, and healthcare costs. The study includes assessments of patient health status before surgery and follow-up during the hospital stay to gather comprehensive data on safety and effectiveness.

Perioperative Oral Decontamination and ImmunoNuTrition (POINT) in Elderly