Nutritional strategies for optimizing surgical wound healing in older adults: a scoping review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.36517/2175-6783.20262795980Keywords:
Elderly Nutrition; Wound Healing; Dietary Supplements; Surgical Wound.Abstract
Objective: to map the nutritional strategies employed in the healing process of surgical wounds in elderly people. Methods: a scope review was conducted in the following databases: MEDLINE via PubMed, CINAHL, LILACS, Web of Science, SCOPUS, EMBASE, and gray literature sources: Google Scholar and ProQuest Dissertations & Theses, in addition to the Consensus AI platform, with no time or language restrictions. Results: of the 4,882 studies identified, 6 met the eligibility criteria and addressed nutritional strategies and surgical wound healing in older adults. Sources included primary and secondary studies, dissertations, and theses. Studies using non-pharmacological technologies were excluded. The main strategies involved oral or enteral supplementation with hypercaloric and hyperprotein formulas enriched with essential micronutrients and the use of supplementation containing immunonutrients (arginine, omega-3, glutamine, and nucleotides). Conclusion: nutritional interventions showed potential to reduce postoperative complications and promote healing in older adults, although the methodological heterogeneity of the studies requires caution in interpreting the results. Contributions to practice: the findings reinforce the importance of individualized planning and the development of nutritional protocols targeted at older adults.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Pollyana Paula Almeida de Araújo, Geovanna Torres de Paiva, Raquel Bezerra Barbosa de Moura, Arthur Melo Cavalcanti, Eduardo Dalle Piagge Filho, Carmem Silvia Laureano Dalle Piagge, Cláudia Batista Mélo
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