Lay summary
Many patients with Crohn’s disease, an inflammatory bowel disease, will require gastrointestinal surgery to remove diseased parts of their bowel. Malnutrition is common in Crohn’s disease and is a risk factor for poor surgical outcomes and reduced quality of life. Poor quality studies suggest that 4-6 weeks of preoperative exclusive enteral nutrition, a nutritionally complete liquid diet, improves nutritional status, reduces gut inflammation and is associated with fewer surgical complications. Significant healthcare savings, and patient quality of life improvements, could result from the use of preoperative exclusive enteral nutrition according to previous cost-benefit analyses. This study will assess the feasibility of conducting a randomised, single blind, controlled trial of exclusive enteral nutrition or standard care on surgical complications. This study will help determine the methods required for a robust, international, randomised controlled trial of preoperative exclusive enteral nutrition which would guide preoperative nutritional management in Crohn’s disease.