BACKGROUND/AIMS

Our main goal was to compare the two validated nutritional screening tools and serum proteins that are used as routine biochemical markers for the prediction of the postoperative outcome.

MATERIAL and METHODS

The current study was design to evaluate the prevalence of malnutrition among elderly patients undergoing elective curative gastrointestinal cancer and trochanteric hip fracture surgery. On admission to the preoperative holding area, all patients underwent the two nutritional screening tests: Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) and Nutritional Risk Screening 2002 (NRS − 2002). After assessment, all participants were followed-up throughout their hospital stay. We calculated the lymphocyte-monocyte ratio (LMR) and albumin-globulin ratio (AGR) according to the laboratory results. The surgical outcome (discharge to ward/intensive care) and postoperative infection (systemic or surgical site) were recorded.

RESULTS

The group of patients with MNA < 17 (malnutrition) had a significantly high ICU admission rate and incidence of systemic or surgical infection, which led to the prolonged length of hospital stay. According to the NRS-2002 screening tool, the ICU admission rate was higher in patients with a score ≥ 3. The surgical site infection rate in this group was also significantly higher than that of the patients with an NRS-2002 score < 3. When comparing the two screening tools, the incidence of ICU admission was significantly higher in patients with MNA>17. The mean serum albumin and globulin levels and the AGR was comparable between before and after the surgery. However, the mean LMR was significantly lower than the preoperative value.

CONCLUSION

Measurements with easy-to-perform tests will provide guidance in terms of identifying potential perioperative risks.

Keywords: Malnutrition, older adults, nutritional biomarkers, MNA, NRS-2002