The Role of the Registered Dietitian in the Care of Patients Before and After Total Gastrectomy

This product is free for ON DPG members.

This webinar was presented live on June 22, 2022.

This presentation will review the recommended nutrition assessment, interventions and considerations for patients with or at risk of gastric cancer who are preparing for total gastrectomy. This presentation will draw comparisons to bariatric surgery, while highlighting the stark differences between bariatric surgery, where the goal is to promote weight loss, versus total gastrectomy, where the goal is to prevent weight loss, promote diet tolerance, and prevent the adverse consequences related to micronutrient deficiencies.

The nutrition care of patients after total gastrectomy allows the registered dietitian to integrate several aspects of medical nutrition therapy including changes in digestion, subjective and objective signs of micronutrient deficiencies, and assessment of body habitus changes, as well as to provide extensive nutrition counseling in behavior change and nutrition education on reading food labels, meal planning, and diet modification. Aspects of this presentation are applicable to a variety of patient populations and therefore will be useful to dietitians practicing in other settings.

CPEU: 1.0
CPE Level: 2
Performance Indicators: 4.1.1, 8.1.1, 8.1.2

Learning Objectives

1. Discuss the clinical management of hereditary diffuse gastric cancer
2. List Short term and long term nutrition concerns after total gastrectomy
3. Explain Post-total Gastrectomy diet and lifestyle

Speaker

Rachael Lopez
Clinical Research Dietitian, National Institutes of Health

CDR Rachael Lopez, MPH, RD, CSO is a Clinical Research Dietitian at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and an officer in the United States Public Health Service (USPHS). She has been a Board-Certified Specialist in Oncology Nutrition (CSO) since 2011. CDR Lopez has severed in a volunteer capacity for DCMAND, the local chapter of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

In her role as dietitian for the NIH Surgical Oncology Program, CDR Lopez provides clinical nutrition services including but not limited to nutrition counseling/education and provision of nutrition support regimens (parenteral or enteral nutrition) for patients undergoing surgical resections of the gastrointestinal tract. CDR Lopez has 10 years of experience working with patients who have had a total gastrectomy. She has presented to several audiences on the topics of nutrition and gastric cancer and nutrition after total gastrectomy, including the International Gastric Cancer Congress, the NIH Hereditary Gastric Cancer Symposium, the annual conference for the National Society for Genetic Counselors and Debbie’s Dream Foundation. CDR Lopez serves as an associate investigator on four clinical trials at the NIH.

Outside of work, CDR Lopez enjoys spending time with her husband and three young daughters.