Short-term Preoperative Diet Decreases Bleeding After Partial Hepatectomy: Results From a Multi-institutional Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: Our previous case series suggested that a 1-week, low-calorie and low-fat diet was associated with decreased intraoperative blood loss in patients undergoing liver surgery. Objective: The current study evaluates the effect of this diet in a randomized controlled trial. Methods: We randomly assigned 60 patients with a body mass index ≥25 kg/m2 to no special diet or an 800-kcal, 20 g fat, and 70 g protein diet for 1 week before liver resection. Surgeons were blinded to diet assignment. Hepatic glycogen stores were evaluated using periodic acid Schiff (PAS) stains. Results: Ninety four percent of the patients complied with the diet. The diet group consumed fewer daily total calories (807 vs 1968 kcal, P

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