Abstract

MACIQUES RODRIGUEZ, Raquel et al. Association of the nutritional status and the postoperative complications in acyanotic heart diseases and increased pulmonary flow. Rev Cubana Pediatr [online]. 2013, vol.85, n.3, pp.330-337. ISSN 0034-7531.

Introduction: the first papers that related malnutrition and heart diseases were reported in the 50's. The cardiopathic nurslings have growth and development disorders and they are more compromised if they present heart failure and cyanosis. Malnutrition patterns are described according to the type of heart disease, which may be acute or chronic. Objectives: to evaluate the impact of the nutritional intervention as a kind of measure to reduce postoperative complications in children with acyanotic congenital heart diseases as well as to relate the presence of postoperative infections to hypoalbuminemia. Methods: prospective study of 28 nurslings with acyanotic congenital heart diseases and increased pulmonary flow conducted in "William Soler" pediatric cardiocenter from September 2008 to August 2010; they were all evaluated prior to surgery. They were divided into 2 groups: Group I comprised malnourished cardiopathic nurslings and Group II included cardiopathic nurslings with no malnutrition. The nutritional status was determined by the weight for size indexes in both sexes. The association of the postoperative complications and the nutritional status was analyzed as well as the relationship of infection and hypoalbuminemia. To this end, summary statistic techniques and percentages were used and relative and absolute frequency distributions were created. Results: in Group I, 69.2 % of children were found to be malnourished at the time of surgery and the infective complications were present in 73.3 % of cases. In Group II, the infective complications occurred in 13.3 % of patients. Conclusions: the group of malnourished children showed the highest number of infective complications, which were related to hypoalbuminemia. Preoperative nutritional intervention favors lower incidence of postoperative complications.

Keywords : malnutrition; congenital cardiopathy; nutritional intervention.

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