Introduction:

Worldwide, the frequency of malnutrition in intensive care units is high and continues to be a cause of increased morbidity only surpassed by sepsis. This frequency increases hospital costs due to delayed injuries healing, suture dehiscence, septic complications, failure to separate mechanical ventilation, critical patient myopathy, and high mortality.

Objective:

To assess the nutritional status of patients admitted to an intensive care unit.

Methods:

A descriptive, prospective, cross-sectional research was carried out during the period from January to December 2017, in the multipurpose intensive care unit of Orlando Pantoja Tamayo General Teaching Hospital. The sample was 85 patients selected by the simple random method. The variables used were biochemical, anthropometric, immunological, age, sex, need for mechanical ventilation, discharge status, and group of diseases.

Results:

The average age was 57.9 years (min: 20 years, max: 89. DS: 17.9), patients with hospital stay of 1-7 days (70.6%) [min: 1, max: 17 predominated. DS: 3.41]. mechanical ventilation was used in 37.6%, 11.8% of patients died, and the cardiovascular disease group prevailed in 49.4%.

Conclusions:

No association between nutritional status was found, based on the nutritional control index, with hospital stay or status at discharge, but with the need for mechanical ventilation.

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