Effects of fluid therapy combined with a preoperative glucose load regimen on postoperative recovery in patients with rectal cancer.

Background: Patients with rectal cancer undergoing radical resection often have poor postoperative recovery due to preoperative fasting and water deprivation and the removal of diseased tissue, and have a high risk of complications. Therefore, it is of great significance to apply appropriate rehydration regimens to patients undergoing radical resection of rectal cancer during the perioperative period to improve the postoperative outcomes of patients.

Aim: To analyze the effects of goal-directed fluid therapy (GDFT) with a preoperative glucose load regimen on postoperative recovery and complications in patients undergoing radical resection for rectal cancer.

Methods: Patients with rectal cancer who underwent radical resection (n = 184) between January 2021 and December 2023 at our hospital were randomly divided into either a control group or an observation group (n = 92 in each group). Both groups received a preoperative glucose load regimen, and routine fluid replacement and GDFT were additionally implements in the control and observation groups, respectively. The operative conditions, blood levels of lactic acid and inflammatory markers, postoperative recovery, cognitive status, hemodynamic indicators, brain oxygen metabolism, and complication rates were compared between the groups.

Results: The colloidal fluid dosage, total infusion, and urine volume, as well as time to first exhaust, time to food intake, and postoperative length of hospital stay, were lower in the observation group (P < 0.05). No significant differences were observed between the two groups in terms of operation time, bleeding volume, crystalloid liquid consumption, time to tracheal extubation, complication rate, heart rate, or mean arterial pressure (P > 0.05). Compared with the control group, in the observation group the lactic acid level was lower immediately after the surgery (P < 0.05); the Mini-Mental State Examination score was higher on postoperative day 3 (P < 0.05); the pulse pressure variability (PPV) was lower at 30 min after pneumoperitoneum (P < 0.05), though the differences in the PPV of the two groups was not significant at the remaining time points (P > 0.05); tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-6 levels were lower on postoperative day 3 (P < 0.05); and the left and right regional cerebral oxygen saturation was higher immediately after the surgery and 30 min after pneumoperitoneum (P < 0.05).

Conclusion: GDFT combined with the preoperative glucose load regimen is a safe and effective treatment strategy for improving postoperative recovery and risk of complications in patients with rectal cancer undergoing radical resection.