The role of enhanced recovery after surgery in preserving gut microbiota

The human microbiome is composed of a variety of bacteria, archaea, microeukaryotes and viruses. They are widely distributed in organs and tissues in which the human body is exposed to the outside world, and most of them live in the human digestive tract. The microbiota in gastrointestinal tract not only participated in the metabolic process of macro nutrient (sugar, fat and amino acids), but also participated in the metabolism process of some micronutrients (vitamins, iron and zinc). Not only that, they also play an important role in maintaining intestinal biological barriers, fighting inflammation, regulating cell necrosis, and initiating immune related processes. Such factors as prohibition of drinking, fasting, trauma, Surgical stress and other factors in clinical practice are likely to lead to intestinal microflora disturbance, intestinal barrier function damage and intestinal mucosal permeability increase, leading to intestinal flora shift and intestinal infection. Subsequent systemic inflammatory response syndrome and multiple organ failure followed. How to maintain the stability of intestinal microflora and protect intestinal function barrier has become a problem for medical workers. The enhanced recovery after surgery is a set of effective measures to reduce the surgical stress and trauma and accelerate the postoperative recovery of the patients during the perioperative period. Because of its concept and some relevant measures, such as shorten preoperative fasting time, non mechanical enema, early postoperative diet can better maintain the intestinal microflora stability, protect the intestinal function barrier, promote the recovery of gastrointestinal function. Therefore, the implementation of enhanced recovery after surgery provides a way for us to better protect and utilize the gastrointestinal tract during the perioperative period. Here, we reviewed the composition of intestinal microflora and its functions in nutrition metabolism, the concept of enhanced recovery after surgery, the relationship between enhanced recovery after surgery and intestinal microflora.