Abstract

ROMERO MESTAS, Abel A; ROMERO SANCHEZ, C Ramón E  and  FUSTER ESPIN, Miguel. Evaluation and impact of nutritional status of geriatric patients operated electively during a biennium. AMC [online]. 2013, vol.17, n.1, pp.41-50. ISSN 1025-0255.

Introduction: it is known presently that aged populations have certain characteristics that make them more susceptible to malnutrition. The estimated values of malnutrition in elderly patients vary depending on a certain number of screening tools. One of the most used is the minimum scale of nutritional status, a useful tool that validates in a simple and fast way the nutritional status of elderly patients. Objective: to assess the impact of preoperative and postoperative nutritional status of elderly patients undergoing elective surgery. Method: a descriptive, prospective and longitudinal study with 171 patients of 60 years and more was carried out, in the General Surgery Service at the University Hospital Amalia Simoni in a biennium. Once completed the form, data were processed in a microcomputer using the statistical program MICROSTAT and descriptive statistics in number and percents were performed. Results were expressed in charts and graphics. Results: according to the minimum scale of nutritional status, classified patients with risk of malnutrition in 50, 3 %, a patient with more than 80 years with no nutritional alterations was found, the nutritional affectation was most frequent in women (68, 7 %), and the 40 % of malnourished patients presented digestive neoplasia, their hospital stay was about 10, 7 days. Conclusions: it was appreciated that nutritional status was similar in both sexes; however it was more frequent the nutritional affectation in those older than 80 years. Digestive system neoplasms were the most frequent disease in malnourished patients. A greater number of complications in patients with nutritional disorders were presented, in these groups, hospital stay increased

Keywords : NUTRITION ASSESSMENT; AGED; MALNUTRITION; EPIDEMIOLOGY, DESCRIPTIVE; PREOPERATIVE CARE; AGED.

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