Our country has entered an aging society, and there are many elderly people. According to UN standards, the proportion of people aged ≥65 years>14% is an ageing society. By the end of 2022, the number of elderly people aged ≥60 years in China has reached 280 million, accounting for 19.8% of the total population, and those aged ≥65 years old accounted for 14.9%［1］。 Aging involves many aspects such as physiology, pathology, society and psychology, among which nutrition is an important aspect of the health problems of the elderly. Malnutrition in the elderly is very common and can lead to decreased organ function, decreased muscle function, osteopenia, weakened immune function, and decreased cognitive function. In elderly surgical patients undergoing surgical treatment, malnutrition can lead to slower incision healing and postoperative recovery, and increased readmission and mortality rates［2, 3］。 At present, among the surgical patients in China, the proportion of patients aged ≥65 years old is 25% ~33%, and there is a trend of increasing every year［4, 5］。 Facing the increasing demand for nutritional support of geriatric surgical patients, the Geriatric Surgery Professional Committee of China Research Hospital Association organized domestic experts in relevant fields to write this consensus around the key issues of clinical nutrition of geriatric surgical patients.
