Postoperative gastrointestinal dysfunction

Gastrointestinal dysfunction is a major clinical problem, especially in postoperative patients, which carries an associated increased morbidity and mortality. New advances in the understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms of postoperative gastrointestinal dysfunction using a multimodal approach have limited the impact of gastrointestinal dysfunction. Key elements of this approach include limiting the surgical inflammatory response by implementing early detection of dysfunction, improving gut perfusion and early enteral nutrition, and abandoning detrimental measures such as standard nasogastric tube drainage.