Association of nutrition status and hospital-acquired infections in older adult orthopedic trauma patients

Health Disparities in Patients With Musculoskeletal Injuries: Food Insecurity Is a Common and Clinically Challenging Problem

BACKGROUND

Health disparities have important effects on orthopaedic patient populations. Socioeconomic factors and poor nutrition have been shown to be associated with an increased risk of complications such as infection in patients undergoing orthopaedic surgery. Currently, there are limited published data on how food insecurity is associated with medical and surgical complications.

QUESTIONS/PURPOSES

We sought to (1) determine the percentage of patients who experience food insecurity in an orthopaedic trauma clinic at a large Level 1 trauma center, (2) identify demographic and clinical factors associated with food insecurity, and (3) identify whether there are differences in the risk of complications and reoperations between patients who experience food insecurity and patients who are food-secure.

METHODS

This was a cross-sectional study using food insecurity screening surveys, which were obtained at an orthopaedic trauma clinic at our Level 1 trauma center. All patients 18 years and older who were seen for an initial evaluation or follow-up for fracture care between November 2022 and February 2023 were considered for inclusion in this study. For inclusion in this study, the patient had to have surgical treatment of their fracture and have completed at least one food insecurity screening survey. Ninety-eight percent (121 of 123) of patients completed the screening survey during the study period. Data for 21 patients were excluded because of nonoperative treatment of their fracture, nonfracture-related care, impending metastatic fracture care, and patients who had treatment at an outside facility and were transferring their care. This led to a study group of 100 patients with orthopaedic trauma. The mean age was 51 years, and 51% (51 of 100) were men. The mean length of follow-up available for patients in the study was 13 months from the initial clinic visit. Patient demographics, hospital admission data, and outcome data were collected from the electronic medical records. Patients were divided into two cohorts: food-secure versus food-insecure. Patients were propensity score matched for adjusted analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 37% of the patients in this study (37 of 100) screened positive for food insecurity during the study period. Patients with food insecurity were more likely to have a higher BMI than patients with food security (32 kg/m2 compared with 28 kg/m2; p = 0.009), and they were more likely not to have healthcare insurance or to have Medicaid (62% [23 of 37] compared with 30% [19 of 63]; p = 0.003). After propensity matching for age, gender, ethnicity, current substance use, Charleston comorbidity index, employment status, open fracture, and length of stay, food insecurity was associated with a higher percentage of superficial infections (13% [4 of 31] compared with 0% [0 of 31]; p = 0.047). There were no differences between the groups in the risk of reoperation, deep infection, and nonunion.

CONCLUSION

Food insecurity is common among patients who have experienced orthopaedic trauma, and patients who have it may be at increased risk of superficial infections after surgery. Future research in this area should focus on defining these health disparities further and interventions that could address them.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level III, therapeutic study.

The Impact of Malnutrition on Skin Integrity and Wound Healing

GENERAL PURPOSE

To recognize valuable resources from the Malnutrition Quality Improvement Initiative for acute care patients and malnutrition quality improvement measures for postacute care residents.

TARGET AUDIENCE

This continuing education activity is intended for physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and registered nurses with an interest in skin and wound care.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES/OUTCOMES

After participating in this educational activity, the participant will:1. Distinguish the prevalence of malnutrition among acute care patients.2. Explain the assessment guidelines for identifying malnutrition.3. Identify the resources available for measuring malnutrition quality improvement.

[Nutritional, bone and body composition assessment of patients with knee and hip arthroplasty]

INTRODUCTION

malnutrition, both due to deficiency and excess of nutrients, is related to the morbidity of the surgical patient.

OBJECTIVES

to analyze the nutritional status, body composition and bone health of patients undergoing elective knee and hip arthroplasty.

METHODS

an observational cross-sectional study was carried out evaluating patients undergoing hip and knee replacement surgery from February to September 2019. The Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST), anthropometry, hand-grip dynamometry, bone densitometry, lumbar spine X-ray and bioimpedance analysis were performed.

RESULTS

eighty-six patients (61.6 % women) were evaluated, with a mean age of 69.5 ± 9.5 years. The mean body mass index (BMI) was 31.3 ± 4.5. According to MUST, 21.3 % were at risk of malnutrition; 16.9 % had decreased triceps skinfold with respect to p50 and 20 % had a pathological hand-grip dynamometry. In 91.4 %, vitamin D was < 30 pg/ml. In the bioimpedanciometry, the women presented significantly decreased muscle mass values. Age was correlated with a lower presence of fat-free mass, total and appendicular muscle mass. In those over 65 years of age, 52.6 % of men vs 14.3 % of women had a decreased muscle mass index; 58.5 % had low bone mineral density. We observed vertebral bone collapses in 13.9 %.

CONCLUSION

there is a high prevalence of obesity in patients who are candidates for arthroplasty and this does not exclude the existence of a risk of malnutrition. They may also have decreased muscle mass and strength. Nutritional education and physical exercise recommendations are essential in order to optimize nutritional status for surgery.

Risk factors for hospital-acquired infection during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate risk factors for hospital-acquired infection (HAI) in patients during the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic, including historical and concurrent cohorts.

DESIGN

Retrospective cohort.

SETTING

Three Missouri hospitals, data from 1^st January 2017 to 30^th September 2020.

PARTICIPANTS

Patients aged ≥18 years and admitted for ≥48 h.

METHODS

Univariate and multi-variate Cox proportional hazards models incorporating the competing risk of death were used to determine risk factors for HAI. A-priori sensitivity analyses were performed to assess the robustness of the urine-, blood- and respiratory-culture-based HAI definition.

RESULTS

The cohort included 254,792 admissions, with 7147 (2.8%) HAIs (1661 blood, 3407 urine, 2626 respiratory). Patients with SARS-CoV-2 had increased risk of HAI (adjusted hazards ratio 1.65, 95% confidence interval 1.38-1.96), and SARS-CoV-2 infection was one of the strongest risk factors for development of HAI. Other risk factors for HAI included certain admitting services, chronic comorbidities, intensive care unit stay during index admission, extremes of body mass index, hospital, and selected medications. Factors associated with lower risk of HAI included year of admission (declined over the course of the study), admitting service and medications. Risk factors for HAI were similar in sensitivity analyses restricted to patients with diagnostic codes for pneumonia/upper respiratory infection and urinary tract infection.

CONCLUSIONS

SARS-CoV-2 was associated with significantly increased risk of HAI.