Clinical nutrition : official journal of the European Society of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition
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Meta Analysis
Cost-effectiveness analysis of immune-modulating nutritional support for gastrointestinal cancer patients.
Immune-modulating nutritional formula containing arginine, omega-3 fatty acids and nucleotides has been demonstrated to decrease complications and length of stay in surgical patients. This study aims at assessing the impact of immune-modulating formula on hospital costs in gastrointestinal cancer surgical patients in Switzerland. ⋯ Immune-modulating nutritional solution is a cost-saving intervention in gastrointestinal cancer patients. The additional cost of immune-modulating formula are more than offset by savings associated with decreased treatment of complications.