Preoperative Fish Oil PN and Prognosis After Constipation Surgery (FOCP)

March 10, 2026 updated by: Jingbo Chen, Qianfoshan Hospital

Impact of Preoperative Fish Oil-Containing Parenteral Nutrition on Prognosis in Patients Undergoing Surgery for Constipation: A Prospective, Multicenter, Real-World Study

This is a prospective, multicenter, real-world observational study to evaluate the impact of perioperative parenteral nutrition (PN) with fish oil-containing lipid emulsion on outcomes in adult patients with constipation undergoing elective colon surgery.

The study will compare two clinical nutrition strategies: (1) PN with fish oil-containing lipid emulsion started before surgery and continued after surgery, and (2) PN with fish oil-containing lipid emulsion started only after surgery. Eligible participants are adults (18-75 years) with slow-transit constipation (STC) or megacolon who are scheduled for elective colon surgery and have nutritional risk (NRS2002 score >=3).

The primary objective is to compare the incidence of postoperative complications between these two PN timing strategies. Secondary objectives include comparison of perioperative nutritional status, postoperative inflammatory status, prognosis, and safety outcomes.

This study will collect and analyze clinical data, laboratory indicators, perioperative recovery outcomes, follow-up assessments, and safety information in routine clinical practice. Outcomes include postoperative complication rates, changes in nutritional and inflammatory markers, bowel function recovery, length of hospital stay, constipation-related symptoms, quality of life, and adverse events. No experimental intervention will be assigned as part of this observational study.

The planned sample size is 306 participants. The findings may help optimize perioperative nutritional support strategies for patients with constipation undergoing surgery.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
306

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

N/A

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Adult patients (18-75 years) with slow-transit constipation (STC) or megacolon who meet clinical and diagnostic criteria, are scheduled for elective colon surgery, and have nutritional risk (NRS2002 score >=3). STC is identified based on Rome IV functional constipation criteria with objective evidence of delayed colonic transit and exclusion of outlet obstruction/pelvic floor dyssynergia. Megacolon is diagnosed based on clinical presentation and imaging evidence of colonic dilatation without mechanical obstruction, with exclusion of Hirschsprung disease and other obstructive causes. Participants are enrolled in a prospective multicenter real-world observational study comparing perioperative timing strategies of fish oil-containing parenteral nutrition.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Age 18 to 75 years.
  2. Meets diagnostic criteria for slow-transit constipation (STC) or megacolon and is scheduled for elective colon surgery.
  3. Nutritional Risk Screening 2002 (NRS2002) score >=3.
  4. Receives fish oil-containing parenteral nutrition (PN) for >=3 days preoperatively or initiates PN for the first time postoperatively (according to the study cohort definition).
  5. Voluntarily participates in the study and provides signed informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Mental disorders or other conditions that prevent cooperation with treatment or follow-up.
  2. Pregnant or breastfeeding women, women planning pregnancy / in a pre-pregnancy state, or women with a clear intention to become pregnant during the perioperative period or follow-up.
  3. Contraindications to surgery or parenteral nutrition.
  4. Concurrent enrollment in another study.
  5. No baseline data available before initiation of nutritional support treatment.
  6. Any other condition judged by the investigator to make the participant unsuitable for this study.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Group / Cohort

A group or subgroup of participants in an observational study that is assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Pre+Post-op Fish Oil PN Group
Participants who receive parenteral nutrition (PN) with a fish oil-containing lipid emulsion before elective colon surgery (for at least 3 days preoperatively, based on clinical condition) and continue PN after surgery as part of routine clinical care, including perioperative use around the preoperative fasting period to maintain energy supply. Postoperative PN is initiated on postoperative day 1.
Drug: Fish oil-containing total parenteral nutrition (PN)
Nutritional support is based on an all-in-one parenteral nutrition (PN) formulation containing omega-3 triglycerides (fish oil, 2%), medium/long-chain lipid emulsion, amino acids, and glucose. In the preoperative observation cohort, participants receive fish oil-containing PN in addition to a normal diet for >=3 days before surgery (duration determined by clinical condition), including PN administration around the preoperative fasting period to maintain energy supply. In the comparison cohort, participants receive a normal diet preoperatively. In both cohorts, PN is initiated on postoperative day 1. Postoperative nutritional management follows the same protocol in both cohorts, with gradual advancement toward energy/protein targets and progressive transition to enteral nutrition/oral nutritional supplements (EN/ONS), with PN tapering and discontinuation when EN/ONS provides adequate energy intake.
Post-op Only Fish Oil PN Group
Participants who initiate parenteral nutrition (PN) with a fish oil-containing lipid emulsion only after elective colon surgery as part of routine clinical care. Before surgery, participants receive a normal diet and do not receive the study PN strategy preoperatively. Postoperative PN is initiated on postoperative day 1.
Drug: Fish oil-containing total parenteral nutrition (PN)
Nutritional support is based on an all-in-one parenteral nutrition (PN) formulation containing omega-3 triglycerides (fish oil, 2%), medium/long-chain lipid emulsion, amino acids, and glucose. In the preoperative observation cohort, participants receive fish oil-containing PN in addition to a normal diet for >=3 days before surgery (duration determined by clinical condition), including PN administration around the preoperative fasting period to maintain energy supply. In the comparison cohort, participants receive a normal diet preoperatively. In both cohorts, PN is initiated on postoperative day 1. Postoperative nutritional management follows the same protocol in both cohorts, with gradual advancement toward energy/protein targets and progressive transition to enteral nutrition/oral nutritional supplements (EN/ONS), with PN tapering and discontinuation when EN/ONS provides adequate energy intake.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Postoperative complication rate
Time Frame: From postoperative period through 6 months after surgery
From postoperative period through 6 months after surgery

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Qianfoshan Hospital

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
March 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
March 1, 2028

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
September 1, 2029

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
March 10, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
March 10, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
March 13, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
March 13, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
March 10, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
February 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • YXLL-KY-2026

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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