Malnutrition is common among patients undergoing pancreatic surgery, and pancreatoduodenectomy—a highly complex and traumatic procedure—further worsens nutritional status. In 2020, China published an expert consensus on whole-course perioperative nutrition management in pancreatic surgery, based on the first national survey of surgical practice.
A new study, published in the Journal of Pancreatology on July 29, 2026, set out to measure how clinical practice had changed five years later. Researchers surveyed Chinese pancreatic surgeons nationwide in 2025, using a 42-item questionnaire covering preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative nutrition management, as well as the management of severe complications and pancreatic function.
A total of 130 valid responses were collected from 40 cities across 31 provinces and regions. Compared with the 2020 survey, the routine implementation of preoperative nutritional assessment rose from 62.5% to 82.3%, and routine screening using the Nutritional Risk Screening 2002 tool increased from 41.7% to 65.4%. Dietitian participation climbed from 49.0% to 70.0%, while intraoperative nasogastric tube placement fell from 78.1% to 56.9%.
Despite this progress, notable gaps persisted. The rate of total parenteral nutrition use on the first postoperative day remained as high as 52.3%, and only 16.2% of surgeons reported early oral feeding. These figures indicate that some practices still diverge from consensus recommendations, which favor early enteral nutrition.
The authors conclude that continued education and guideline promotion are needed to translate the consensus into broader clinical practice, with the ultimate goal of reducing postoperative complications and improving recovery for patients undergoing pancreatic surgery.
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Reference
Title of original paper: A national survey of perioperative nutrition support for pancreatoduodenectomy among Chinese pancreatic surgeons: Trends from 2020 to 2025
Journal: Journal of Pancreatology
DOI: 10.1097/JP9.0000000000000261
About Dr. Jingyong Xu from Beijing Hospital, China
Jingyong Xu, Department of General Surgery, Department of Hepato-Bilio-Pancreatic Surgery, Beijing Hospital, National Center of Gerontology, Institute of Geriatric Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences; Department of Health Care, Beijing Hospital, National Center of Gerontology, Institute of Geriatric Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing 100730, China. E-mail: xujingyong@bjhmoh.cn
About Dr. Junmin Wei from Beijing Hospital, China
Junmin Wei, Department of General Surgery, Department of Hepato-Bilio-Pancreatic Surgery, Beijing Hospital, National Center of Gerontology, Institute of Geriatric Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing 100730, China. E-mail: weijunminsci@163.com
About Dr. Wenming Wu from Peking Union Medical College Hospital, China
Wenming Wu, Department of General Surgery, Key Laboratory of Research in Pancreatic Tumor, State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100730, China. E-mail: doctorwuu@126.com
Funding information
This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 82573693 and 82541008).
Journal of Pancreatology
Survey
People
A national survey of perioperative nutrition support for pancreatoduodenectomy among Chinese pancreatic surgeons: Trends from 2020 to 2025
29-Jul-2026