Preoperative supplementation (PSUP) or PSUP plus postoperative enteral nutrition (POEN) v conventional treatment (COTR) in surgery for gastrointestinal cancer at 30 days after hospital discharge*
| Outcomes | Comparison | Rate | RRR (95% CI) | NNT (CI) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patients with infectious complications | PSUP v COTR | 14% v 30% | 54% (21 to 74) | 6 (4 to 19) |
| POEN v COTR | 16% v 30% | 48% (12 to 70) | 7 (4 to 34) | |
| PSUP v POEN | 14% v 16% | 13% (−66 to 55) | Not significant |
| Mean | Mean difference (CI) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| *Abbreviations defined in glossary; RRR, NNT, and CI calculated from data in article. | ||||
| †Significant differences favour PSUP and POEN. | ||||
| Length of hospital stay (days) | PSUP v COTR | 11.6 v 14.0 | 2.4 (0.6 to 4.2)† | |
| POEN v COTR | 12.2 v 14.0 | 1.8 (0.1 to 3.5)† | ||
| PSUP v POEN | 11.6 v 12.2 | 0.6 (−0.6 to 1.8) | ||