Abstract

Author(s): Fugolar, Fernanda; Hacke, Adriele; Brandão Polakowski, Camila; Kato, Massakazu

Introduction: Malnutrition is prevalent in cancer patients and collaborates with incidence of postoperative complications and length of stay.

Objective: To investigate the correlation of the Nutritional Risk Index with postoperative complications in cancer patients undergoing digestive system surgery.

Method: A prospective study of patients who underwent surgery of the digestive system. The day before, or the day of surgery, patients underwent preoperative nutritional assessment by the Patient General Subjective Global Assessment,arm muscle circumference, body mass index and Nutritional Risk Index. Subsequently, data were collected regarding postoperative complications and length of stay.

Results: The study included 44 patients, 56.8% of patients were considered malnourished by the Patient General Subjective Global Assessment and the Nutritional Risk Index, while the arm muscle circumference and body mass index found 27.3% and 18 2% respectively malnourished. The correlation between the Nutritional Risk Index with postoperative complications (p = 0.0049), where 81.2% of patients had some type of complication were considered malnourished by the method. There was also correlation between increased length of hospital stay of seven days or more, and the Nutritional Risk Index (p = 0.0019). Among the evaluation methods used only for the Patient General Subjective Global Assessment correlated with the Nutritional Risk Index

Conclusion: The Nutritional Risk Index is considered a good indicator of postoperative complications in cancer patients undergoing surgery of the digestive system. It is also a good tool to assess nutritional status and predict the length of hospitalization in this group of patients.