Hospital Malnutrition, a Call for Political Action: A Public Health and NutritionDay Perspective

The international declaration on the human right to nutritional care: A global commitment to recognize nutritional care as a human right

Access to nutritional care is frequently limited or denied to patients with disease-related malnutrition (DRM), to those with the inability to adequately feed themselves or to maintain their optimal healthy nutritional status which goes against the fundamental human right to food and health care. That is why the International Working Group for Patient's Right to nutritional care is committed to promote a human rights based approach (HRBA) in the field of clinical nutrition. Our group proposed to unite efforts by launching a global call to action against disease-related malnutrition through The International Declaration on the Human Right to Nutritional Care signed in the city of Vienna during the 44th ESPEN congress on September 5th 2022. The Vienna Declaration is a non-legally binding document that sets a shared vision and five principles for implementation of actions that would promote the access to nutritional care. Implementation programs of the Vienna Declaration should be promoted, based on international normative frameworks as The United Nations (UN) 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Rome Declaration of the Second International Conference on Nutrition and the Working Plan of the Decade of Action on Nutrition 2016-2025. In this paper, we present the general background of the Vienna Declaration, we set out an international normative framework for implementation programs, and shed a light on the progress made by some clinical nutrition societies. Through the Vienna Declaration, the global clinical nutrition network is highly motivated to appeal to public authorities, international governmental and non-governmental organizations and other scientific healthcare societies on the importance of optimal nutritional care for all patients.

Dialogue is a prerequisite for the nurse-patient relationship in nutritional care: A secondary analysis using the fundamentals of care framework

BACKGROUND

Providing good nutritional care is complex as it goes beyond assessing and ensuring the patients' dietary needs. So far, nutritional research has mainly focused on establishing evidence for the nutritional treatment, while less attention has been on the complexity of providing nutritional care. The Fundamentals of Care (FoC) describes five elements (focus, knowledge, anticipate, evaluate and trust) essential for establishing a nurse-patient relationship as a foundation for quality care. By studying how these elements shape nutritional care and dialogue, we can explore and describe the complexity of nutritional care.

AIM

By using the FoC framework as an analytic framework, this study explores how the nurse-patient relationship shapes the nutritional care of orthopaedic patients.

METHOD

This study is a secondary analysis using deductive content analysis of interviews with patients undergoing major orthopaedic surgery, nursing staff and observations of interactions between nursing staff and patients. The core dimension of the FoC framework, 'Establishment of relationship,' was used as an analytic framework.

RESULT

The nurses perceived serving meals and providing nutritional supplements as an essential part of the nutritional care. Still, the nutritional care was organised as a routine task to be less time-consuming. Appropriate care was initiated when the nursing staff explored patients´ food preferences. When the nursing staff failed to familiarise themselves with the patient's preferences, the patients interpreted nutritional care as unrelated to their needs, resulting in a lack of trust.

CONCLUSION

The need for efficiency within nutritional care must not compromise the patients' need for dialogue with the nurse. Establishing a trusting relationship between nurses and patients prevents nutritional care from becoming a routine task unrelated to the patients' needs.

An umbrella review of systematic reviews of β-hydroxy-β-methyl butyrate supplementation in ageing and clinical practice

The compound β-hydroxy-β-methyl butyrate (HMB) is proposed to increase or mitigate the loss of skeletal muscle and improve muscle function. We undertook a review of systematic reviews of HMB supplementation to promote gains or mitigate muscle loss in ageing and clinical populations. Following PRISMA guidelines, we searched for systematic reviews reporting the effect of HMB in our target populations. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) measured lean soft-tissue mass (LSTM) was accepted as a proxy for muscle. We identified 15 systematic reviews that met our inclusion criteria, which were independently evaluated. The methodological quality of the reviews was assessed using A Measurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews (AMSTAR), and standardized effectiveness statements were generated. Five of 15 studies found some evidence that HMB augmented LSTM; the remaining 10 studies reported some evidence favouring no difference (6/10 studies) or insufficient evidence to determine an effect (4/10 studies). Of the 12 studies that evaluated strength, 4/12 found some evidence, 5/12 found some evidence of no effect with one article finding some evidence in favour of patients in peri-hospitalized and no evidence for those that are community-dwelling, 4/12 had insufficient evidence to determine an effect, and 1/12 had insufficient evidence. No]study reported a positive effect of HMB on physical function; however, 2/10 studies found some evidence favouring no effect, and 7/10 studies reported insufficient evidence to determine an effect. The effectiveness of HMB supplementation in augmenting LSTM was heterogeneous, with most reviews finding no effect or inconclusive evidence to determine an effect. Most reviews concluded that HMB supplementation did not affect strength outcome measures or studies were inconclusive. The current evidence is insufficient to assess the impact of HMB supplementation on functional outcome measures. Our analysis shows minor, inconsistent support for HMB as part of an oral nutritional supplement or as a stand-alone supplement (or combined with other amino acids) to increase or promote retention of LSTM, improve strength, and no evidence that it improves physical function in older persons or clinical populations.

Association of Different Malnutrition Parameters and Clinical Outcomes among COVID-19 Patients: An Observational Study

Background: Malnutrition is highly prevalent in medical inpatients and may also negatively influence clinical outcomes of patients hospitalized with COVID-19. We analyzed the prognostic implication of different malnutrition parameters with respect to adverse clinical outcomes in patients hospitalized with COVID-19. Methods: In this observational study, consecutively hospitalized adult patients with confirmed COVID-19 at the Cantonal Hospital Aarau (Switzerland) were included between February and December 2020. The association between Nutritional Risk Screening 2002 (NRS 2002) on admission, body mass index, and admission albumin levels with in-hospital mortality and secondary endpoints was studied by using multivariable regression analyses. Results: Our analysis included 305 patients (median age of 66 years, 66.6% male) with a median NRS 2002-score of 2.0 (IQR 1.0, 3.0) points. Overall, 44 patients (14.4%) died during hospitalization. A step-wise increase in mortality risk with a higher nutritional risk was observed. When compared to patients with no risk for malnutrition (NRS 2002 < 3 points), patients with a moderate (NRS 2002 3−4 points) or high risk for malnutrition (NRS 2002 ≥ 5 points) had a two-fold and five-fold increase in risk, respectively (10.5% vs. 22.7% vs. 50.0%, p < 0.001). The increased risk for mortality was also confirmed in a regression analysis adjusted for gender, age, and comorbidities (odds ratio for high risk for malnutrition 4.68, 95% CI 1.18 to 18.64, p = 0.029 compared to patients with no risk for malnutrition). Conclusions: In patients with COVID-19, the risk for malnutrition was a risk factor for in-hospital mortality. Future studies should investigate the role of nutritional treatment in this patient population.

Evaluation of anorexia and analysis of related factors in patients with COVID-19

Objective

COVID-19 may cause an anorexic situation. This in turn leads to underfeeding, puts the patient in an energy protein malnutrition state, develops the hyperinflammation, weakens the immunity, and makes COVID-19 conditions more dangerous. Meanwhile, the more severe inflammation conditions in the body, the more severe the anorexia, which in turn affect the disease severity. Studies evaluating appetite in COVID-19 patients are very rare; therefore, we evaluated anorexia and analyzed the related factors in patients with COVID-19.

Material and methods

In this cross sectional study, adult patients’ ≥18 years old with the positive real-time fluorescence polymerase chain reaction for COVID-19 were included. The patients were classified as mild, moderate, and severe based on the WHO classification. We measured the appetite score, weight, height, body mass index (BMI), depression and anxiety score, at admission for every patient.

Results

A total of 301 patients participated in the study. The prevalence of admission anorexia was 58%, and this rate was significantly more in the severe group compared to the mild and moderate groups (P < 0.001). Comorbidities, depression and anxiety were independently correlated with anorexia risk [(OR = 3.6, 95% CI 1.68–7.70, P = 0.001), (OR = 1.23, 95% CI 1.16–1.30, P < 0001), and (OR = 1.24, 95% CI 1.17–1.31, P < 0001)], respectively. This correlation was adherence to a U-shape association for BMI, which means BMI < 18.5 (OR = 3.35, 95% CI 1.8–10.42, P < 0001) and BMI ≥30 (OR = 2.45, 95% CI 1.02–6.53, P = 0.048) were related to higher risk of anorexia.

Conclusion

We reported a high prevalence of anorexia (58%) in COVID-19 patients, which was positively correlated with disease severity. Furthermore, any factor worsening inflammatory state, including underweight, obesity, comorbidities, depression and anxiety can exacerbate anorexia in these patients.

Malnutrition and Inadequate Eating Behaviour during Hospital Stay in Geriatrics-An Explorative Analyses of NutritionDay Data in Two Hospitals

(1) Background: Malnutrition in hospitalized patients is prevalent worldwide, but the severity of the issue is often underestimated by practitioners. The purpose of this study is to investigate the prevalence of malnutrition and inadequate eating behaviour in a geriatric sample. (2) Methods: Two hospitals participated with six wards on nutritionDay in 2017, 2018 and 2019. Nutritional status, food intake, and nutritional interventions were analyzed for all patients ≥ 65 years (n = 156), using the official nutritionDay questionnaires. Malnutrition risk is identified by Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST), malnutrition by the ESPEN criteria (European Society of Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism). (3) Results: According to MUST (n = 136) 16.9% (n = 23) were at medium risk of malnutrition, 33.8% (n = 46) at high risk of malnutrition, 28.1% (n = 38) were malnourished. Overall, 62.8% (n = 98) showed an inadequate eating behaviour during hospital stay. Moreover, patients with inadequate nutrition had significantly worse self-reported health statuses (p = 0.001; r = -0.276), were less able to walk on nutritionDay (p = 0.002; r = -0.255), had eaten little in the week before admission to hospital (p < 0.001; r = -0.313), and had an increased length of stay (p = 0.036; r = -0.174). (4) Conclusion: To identify malnourished patients is a significant barrier for practitioners seeking to administer specific, tailored interventions. Malnutrition screening protocols must be improved, just as nutrition monitoring in general.

Nutrition Care for Poorly Nourished Outpatients Reduces Resource Use and Lowers Costs

Background and Objectives:

Over 25% of United States (US) community-dwelling, older adults are at nutritional risk. Health and cost burdens of poor nutrition can be lowered by nutrition programs for hospital inpatients, but few studies have looked at the impact on outpatients. The objective of our study was to assess outcomes of a nutrition focused quality improvement program (QIP) on healthcare resource use and costs in poorly nourished outpatients.

Methods:

This pre-post QIP study was implemented at 3 US healthcare system clinics. Included patients (n = 600) were ≥45 years old, had ≥2 chronic conditions, and were enrolled over a 15-month interval. For comparison, historical (n = 600) and concurrent control (n = 600) groups were used. Assessment of poor nutritional status was performed during each patient’s baseline visit. Healthcare resource use (hospitalizations, emergency department visits, and outpatient clinic visits), medication use, and costs were determined for a 90-day interval.

Results:

QIP patients (mean age 61.6 years) were predominantly female (62.5%) and overweight/obese (81.7%). The proportion of QIP outpatients presenting for healthcare services was significantly reduced compared to both historical and concurrent controls—relative risk reduction (RRR) versus historical (11.6%, P < .001) and versus concurrent (8.9%, P = .003). Of those who presented, RRR for healthcare resource use by QIP was significant in comparison with historical (12.9%, P = .022) but not concurrent controls. No significant differences were observed for medication usage. Lower resource use among QIP patients yielded total cost savings of $290 923 or per-patient savings of $485.

Conclusions:

Nutrition QIPs in outpatient clinics are feasible and can reduce healthcare resource use and cut costs. Such findings underscore benefits of nutritional interventions for community-dwelling outpatients with poor nutritional status.

[Malnutrition in geriatric patients: risk factor residential nursing home?]

Hintergrund

Mangelernährung ist ein nach wie vor herausforderndes Problem in der Krankenhausversorgung, speziell bei geriatrischen Patient*innen. Dennoch findet das Thema in der Praxis nur wenig Beachtung.

Ziel und Methodik

Im Zentrum der vorliegenden Datenanalyse steht die Fragestellung, inwiefern sich der Ernährungsstatus von zuhause lebenden geriatrischen Patient*innen, von in der stationären Pflege lebenden, unterscheidet. Hierfür wurden Daten aus insgesamt 4 Erhebungen (3-mal nutritionDay plus eine zusätzliche Erhebung) zusammengefasst. Es konnten 258 Patient*innen (≥ 65 Jahre) in die Auswertung aufgenommen werden; ein Mangelernährungsrisiko wurde anhand des Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST), eine manifeste Mangelernährung anhand der ESPEN-Kriterien festgestellt.

Ergebnisse

Zu Hause leben 86,0 % (n = 222) der Patient*innen, in stationären Pflegeeinrichtungen 14,0 % (n = 36). Die in der stationären Pflege lebenden Patient*innen weisen eine ausgeprägtere Morbidität auf, sichtbar anhand der größeren Anzahl an in der Klinik verbrachten Nächten in den letzten 12 Monaten (Mdn 10,0 vs. 5; p 0,007), der höheren Anzahl der Medikamente (Mdn 9,0 vs. 7,0; p 0,002) sowie stärkeren Einschränkungen beim Gehen (Mdn 3,0 vs. 1,0; p < 0,001). Sie sind signifikant älter (Mdn 86,0 vs. 78,0 Jahre; p < 0,001) und weisen einen tendenziell höheren Anteil manifester Mangelernährung auf (35,7 %; n = 10 vs. 20,1 %; n = 40; p 0,062).

Schlussfolgerung

Sowohl zu Hause als auch in der stationären Langzeitpflege lebende geriatrische Patient*innen weisen einen erheblichen Anteil an Mangelernährung auf. Ein zuverlässig durchgeführtes Screening zu Beginn und im Verlauf des Klinikaufenthaltes ist in jedem Fall dringend erforderlich, da nur so die Betroffenen erkannt werden. Ein regelmäßiges Screening im ambulanten Bereich wie auch der stationären Langzeitpflege ist ebenso erforderlich.

Impact of Malnutrition in Patients With Infective Endocarditis

BACKGROUND

Effects of malnutrition on patients with infective endocarditis (IE) have not been fully studied. Because malnutrition is associated with poor health, we hypothesized that among patients with IE, those with malnutrition would have more negative in-hospital outcomes.

METHODS

The National Inpatient Sample was used to identify adults ≥18 years old with IE. We compared outcomes of in-hospital mortality, morbidity, valvular interventions, and utilization of resources between individuals with and without malnutrition.

RESULTS

11,939 adults ≥18 years were hospitalized with IE, 2035 had a secondary diagnosis for malnutrition. There were no significant differences in age (mean age ± SEM: 55.6 ± 1.0 vs 54.3 ± 0.4 years, P = .21) or sex (female: 36.7%; 743/2,035 vs 37.5%; 3,717/9,904, P = .69) in patients with and without malnutrition. Patients with malnutrition had more comorbidities (Charlson comorbidity score ≥3: 36%; 732/2,035 vs 30.7%; 3,040/9,904, P = .04). Despite similar adjusted in-hospital mortality (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.4; 95% CI, 0.8-1.5; P = .23), malnourished patients were more likely to develop sepsis (aOR, 1.7; 95% CI, 1.2-2.4; P < .01) and had higher odds of mitral-valve (aOR, 1.7; 95% CI, 1.2-2.4; P < .01) repairs/replacements. Patients with malnutrition also had increased lengths of stay (adjusted mean difference [aMD], 4.7 days; 95% CI, 2.9-6.5 days; P < .01) and hospital charges (aMD, $36,052; 95% CI, $14,935-$57,168; P < .01).

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with malnutrition and IE are at risk for high morbidity, valvular repairs/replacements, and use of hospital resources.

Nutrition in medical education in Latin America: Results of a cross-sectional survey

RATIONALE

The gap between the nutrition education provided to medical students and the nutrition competences and attitudes needed for doctors to provide effective nutrition care is a global concern. The goal of this study was to investigate the curricular content on nutrition education in Latin American medical schools and to evaluate the self-perceived knowledge, attitudes, and barriers to nutrition practice of final-year medical students.

METHODS

Eighty-five public and private medical schools from 17 Latin American countries were invited to participate in the study. Two close-ended online questionnaires consisting of 25 and 43 questions were sent to medical school directors. Quantitative variables were expressed as frequencies, percentages, mean ± standard deviation, medians, and ranges.

RESULTS

A total of 22 (26%) medical school directors responded, of which 11 schools (50%) offered stand-alone mandatory nutrition courses in preclinical and 8 (36%) in clinical years. The mean hours dedicated to nutrition education was 47 (range: 0-150). A total of 1530 of 1630 (94%) students from 12 countries responded. Students' average age was 25 ± 3 years, and 59% were female. Most students agreed that improving patients' health through nutrition (91%) is important and that nutrition counseling and assessment should be part of routine care provided by all physicians (89%), but they lack the level of education and training required to address nutrition-related issues.

CONCLUSIONS

Positive attitude and interest in nutrition among final-year medical students is high, but nutrition education is not perceived as sufficient to adequately prepare doctors in the field of nutrition.

Energy and protein intake in medical and geriatric inpatients with MEDPass versus conventional administration of oral nutritional supplements: study protocol for the randomized controlled MEDPass Trial

Background

Disease-related malnutrition is highly prevalent in hospitalized medical and geriatric inpatients. It is associated with negative outcomes such as muscle wasting, decline of functional status, and increased morbidity and mortality. Oral nutritional supplements (ONS) are frequently used in nutritional therapy to increase intake. However, compliance to ONS is often limited and maybe improved by prescribing ONS in small portions timed with the medication (MEDPass). However, it is unknown whether the MEDPass administration enhances patients’ total energy and protein intake.

Methods

The MEDPass Trial is a randomized, controlled, open-label superiority trial. Patients in the MEDPass group receive 50 ml of ONS four times per day, distributed with the medication rounds. Patients in the control group receive ONS between meals. The primary outcome is average daily energy intake (% of calculated daily requirement). For our power analysis, we assumed that administration of ONS in the MEDPass administration mode increases energy intake by at least 10% (i.e., by 200 kcal for an average energy requirement of 2200 kcal/day). Thus, with the inclusion of 200 patients, this trial has 80% power to demonstrate that intervention group patients have an average intake of 2200 kcal/day (SD 500 kcal) versus 2000 kcal/day (SD 500 kcal) in control group patients. Energy and protein intakes from ONS and all food consumed are monitored continuously throughout the hospital stay and are statistically compared to the patient’s requirements. Secondary outcomes include average daily protein intake (% of calculated daily requirement), average intake of ONS/day, the course of body weight, handgrip strength, appetite, and nausea. Furthermore, hospital length of stay and 30-day mortality are assessed. The primary statistical analysis will be performed as an intention-to-treat analysis adjusted for the stratification factors used in randomization.

Discussion

To our knowledge, this is the first randomized controlled trial assessing total energy and protein intake for the entire hospitalization period in patients receiving MEDPass versus conventional ONS administration. Thus, the MEDPass Trial will fill a gap and answer this relevant clinical question.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03761680. Registered on 3 December 2018. Kofam.ch SNCTP000003191. Registered on 15 October 2018

Validation of Malnutrition Clinical Characteristics in Critically Ill Patients

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to validate the Malnutrition Clinical Characteristics (MCC) compared with the Subjective Global Assessment (SGA), considering anthropometric measures, comorbidities, and mortality in critically ill patients.

METHODS

This longitudinal observational study included patients admitted to the general intensive care unit (ICU) of a public hospital. SGA was used as the reference standard for diagnosing malnutrition. The inclusion criteria were patients receiving nutrition support therapy and age >18 years. The nutrition therapy was optimized as close as possible to 100% of the patients' energy and protein needs regardless of the access route. Hospital length of stay (LOS), comorbidities on admission, and death were documented during the entire hospitalization of each patient. Body mass index (BMI), midarm circumference (MAC), and calf circumference (CC) were considered anthropometric measures.

RESULTS

The convenience sample comprised 102 ICU patients. Comparing the original malnutrition classifications of SGA with MCC, the specificity was 87.5%, sensitivity was 100%, accuracy was 93.3%, positive predictive value was 87.5%, and negative predictive value was 100%. When classified in 2 groups, namely "well-nourished" and "malnourished," specificity and sensitivity were 100% between both groups. Malnourished patients had significantly higher mortality rates (P = .006) and longer LOSs (P <.001). As expected, BMI, MAC, and CC results were similar for SGA and MCC.

CONCLUSIONS

MCC was a valid tool for classifying malnutrition in ICU patients. Because the evaluation is fast and does not require expensive equipment that is difficult to handle, it is believed to be practical, low-cost, and easy to use.

Are traditional screening tools adequate for monitoring the nutrition risk of in-hospital patients? An analysis of the nutritionDay database

BACKGROUND

Monitoring of adequate food intake is not a priority in hospital patients' care. The present study aimed to examine selective data from the nutritionDay survey to determine the impact of food intake during hospitalization on outcomes according to the nutrition risk status.

METHODS

We conducted a descriptive analysis of selected data from 7 consecutive, annual, and cross-sectional nutritionDay samples from 2009 to 2015. The impact of food intake on outcomes was assessed by univariate and multivariate Cox models controlling for PANDORA scores.

RESULTS

A total of 7994 adult patients from Colombia, 7243 patients from 9 Latin American countries, and 155,524 patients worldwid were included. Less than half of the patients worldwide consumed their entire meal on nutritionDay (41%). The number of reduced eaters is larger in the "no nutrition risk group" than in the "nutrition risk group" (30% vs 25%). Reduced eating is associated with higher mortality and delayed discharge in patients, regardless of the nutrition risk status. Patients without nutrition risk at the screening who ate "nothing, but were allowed to eat" had 6 times more risk of mortality (hazard ratio, 6.48; 95% CI, 3.5311.87).

CONCLUSIONS

This is the first large-scale study evaluating the relationship of food intake on clinical outcomes showing an increase of in-hospital mortality rates and a reduction in the probability of being discharged home regardless of the nutrition risk status. Traditional screening tools may not identify a group of patients who will become at risk because of reduced intake while in the hospital.

Hospital Malnutrition, Nutritional Risk Factors, and Elements of Nutritional Care in Europe: Comparison of Polish Results with All European Countries Participating in the nDay Survey

NutritionDay (nDay) is a project established by the Medical University of Vienna and the European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (ESPEN) to audit the nutritional status of hospitalized patients and nursing home residents. This study aimed to evaluate nDay data describing the prevalence of hospital malnutrition, nutritional risk factors, and elements of the nutritional care process implemented in hospital wards in 25 European countries and to compare the data derived from Poland with the data collected in all the European countries participating in the study. In total, 10,863 patients (European reference group: 10,863 participants including Poland: 498 participants) were involved in the study. The prevalence of malnutrition was identified on the basis of the ESPEN diagnostic criteria established in 2015, while the prevalence of nutritional risk factors was assessed by analyzing the following parameters: body mass index (BMI), score of Malnutrition Screening Tool (MST), recent weight loss, insufficient food intake, decreased appetite, increased number of drugs intake, reduced mobility, and poor self-reported health status. Malnutrition prevalence was 12.9% in patients from the European reference group and 9.4% in patients from Polish hospital wards (p < 0.05). However, the prevalence of some nutritional risk factors, i.e., recent weight loss, history of decreased food intake, and low actual food intake, were approximately four times more prevalent than diagnosed malnutrition (referring to approximately 40-50% of all participants). In comparison to the European reference group, the significant differences observed in Polish hospital wards concerned mainly dietitian's involvement in the process of treating malnutrition (16% vs. 57.2%; p < 0.001); supply of special diets (8% vs. 16.1%; p < 0.0001); provision of oral nutritional support (ONS) (3.8% vs. 12.2%; p < 0.0001); prescription of enteral/parenteral nutrition therapy to hospitalized patients (8.2% vs. 11.7%; p < 0.001); as well as recording patient weight performed at hospital admission (100% vs. 72.9%; p < 0.0001), weekly (20% vs. 41.4%; p < 0.05), and occasionally (0% vs. 9.2%). These results indicate that the prevalence of malnutrition and malnutrition risk factors in hospitalized patients in Poland was slightly lower than in the European reference group. However, some elements of the nutritional care process in Polish hospitals were found insufficient and demand more attention.

Malnutrition in Hospitalized Adults With Cerebral Palsy

BACKGROUND

Malnutrition among hospitalized adults with cerebral palsy (CP) has not been extensively explored. We sought to identify impacts of malnutrition on clinical and resource outcomes among hospitalized adults with CP.

METHODS

This retrospective cohort study surveyed years 2016 and 2017 from the National Inpatient Sample database. Regression models evaluated mortality and resource utilization.

RESULTS

154,219 adults with CP were hospitalized. Among them, 21,064/154,219 (13.5%) had malnutrition. Patients with and without malnutrition were similar in age (mean age ± SEM, 45.1 ± 0.30 vs 45.2 ± 0.18 years; P = .70). Patients with malnutrition were more likely male (12,175/21,604 [57.8%] vs 72,929/133,155 [54.8%], P < .01) and had higher comorbidity scores (Charlson comorbidity score ≥ 3; 2,464/21,064 [11.7%] vs 14,380/133,155 [10.8%]; P = .01). Mortality rates were higher among patients with malnutrition (905/21,064 [4.3%] vs 2,796/21,064 [2.1%], P < .01), and they had higher odds for mortality (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 2.1; CI, 1.7-2.5; P < .01). Those with malnutrition were less likely discharged home (aOR = 0.52; CI, 0.48-0.56; P < .01). Hospital charges were higher (adjusted mean difference [aMD] = +$42,540; CI, $36,934-48,146; P < .01) and length of stay longer (aMD = +4.3 days; CI, 3.9-4.7; P < .01) among patients with malnutrition.

CONCLUSION

Malnutrition in hospitalized patients with CP is associated with increased mortality and hospital resource utilization. Flagging these patients as being "high risk" when they are hospitalized may result in heightened attentiveness about clinical outcomes in this vulnerable population.

Nutritional Risk Screening and Body Composition in COVID-19 Patients Hospitalized in an Internal Medicine Ward

BACKGROUND

Malnutrition in patients hospitalized in internal medicine wards is highly prevalent and represents a prognostic factor of worse outcomes. Previous evidence suggested the prognostic role of the nutritional status in patients affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We aim to investigate the nutritional risk in patients with COVID-19 hospitalized in an internal medicine ward and their clinical outcomes using the Nutritional Risk Screening 2002 (NRS-2002) and parameters derived from bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA).

METHODS

Retrospective analysis of patients with COVID-19 aimed at exploring: 1) the prevalence of nutritional risk with NRS-2002 and BIA; 2) the relationship between NRS-2002, BIA parameters and selected outcomes: length of hospital stay (LOS); death and need of intensive care unit (ICU); prolonged LOS; and loss of appetite.

RESULTS

Data of 90 patients were analyzed. Patients at nutritional risk were 92% with NRS-2002, with BIA-derived parameters: 88% by phase angle; 86% by body cell mass; 84% by fat-free mass and 84% by fat mass (p-value ≤0.001). In ROC analysis, NRS had the maximum sensitivity in predicting the risk of death and need of ICU and a prolonged hospitalization showing moderate-low specificity; phase angle showed a good predictive power in terms of AUC. NRS-2002 was significantly associated with LOS (β 12.62, SE 5.79). In a multivariate analysis, blood glucose level and the early warning score are independent predictors of death and need of ICU (OR 2.79, p ≤0.001; 1.59, p-0.029, respectively).

CONCLUSION

Present findings confirm the clinical utility of NRS-2002 to assess nutritional risk in patients with COVID-19 at hospital admission and in predicting LOS, and that bioimpedance does not seem to add further predictive value. An early detection of nutritional risk has to be systematically included in the management of COVID-19 patients hospitalized in internal medicine wards.

Phase angle is associated with length of hospital stay, readmissions, mortality, and falls in patients hospitalized in internal-medicine wards: A retrospective cohort study

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to investigate the predictive value of bioimpedance phase angle (PA) on selected clinical outcomes in patients hospitalized in internal-medicine wards.

METHODS

This was a retrospective observational study of 168 patients admitted to the internalmedicine service (52.9% women, 47.1% men), with a mean (± SD) age of 73.9 ± 15.9 y. Anthropometric examination, laboratory tests, and bioelectrical impedance analysis were performed. Bioimpedance-derived PA was the study's parameter. Length of hospital stay, prospective all-cause hospital readmission, mortality, and falls were the clinical endpoints.

RESULTS

Across the four PA quartile groups, age was incrementally higher (P ≤ 0.001). Multivariate linear regression models showed that PA quartile 1 was significantly associated with length of hospital stay (β, SE) in both crude and adjusted models-respectively, β (SE) = 6.199 (1.625), P ≤ 0.001, and β = 2.193 (1.355), P = 0.033. Over a 9-mo follow-up period, the hazard ratios for readmission, in-hospital falls, and mortality were associated with the lowest phase angle (PA quartile 1 versus quartiles 2-4)-respectively, 2.07 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.28-3.35), 2.36 (95% CI, 1.05-5.33), and 2.85 (95% CI, 1.01-7.39). Associations between narrow PA and outcomes continued to be significant after adjustments for various confounders.

CONCLUSIONS

In internal-medicine wards, bioimpedance-derived PA emerged as a predictor of length of hospital stay, hospital readmission, falls, and mortality. The present findings suggest that in the hospital setting, PA assessment could be useful in identifying patients at higher risk who need specific nutritional support.

Evaluation of Nutrition Risk and Its Association With Mortality Risk in Severely and Critically Ill COVID-19 Patients

BACKGROUND

The nutrition status of coronavirus disease 2019 patients is unknown. This study evaluates clinical and nutrition characteristics of severely and critically ill patients infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and investigates the relationship between nutrition risk and clinical outcomes.

METHODS

A retrospective, observational study was conducted at West Campus of Union Hospital in Wuhan. Patients confirmed with SARS-CoV-2 infection by a nucleic acid-positive test and identified as severely or critically ill were enrolled in this study. Clinical data and outcomes information were collected and nutrition risk was assessed using Nutritional Risk Screening 2002 (NRS).

RESULTS

In total, 413 patients were enrolled in this study, including 346 severely and 67 critically ill patients. Most patients, especially critically ill patients, had significant changes in nutrition-related parameters and inflammatory markers. As for nutrition risk, the critically ill patients had significantly higher proportion of high NRS scores (P < .001), which were correlated with inflammatory and nutrition-related markers. Among 342 patients with NRS score ≥3, only 84 (of 342, 25%) received nutrition support. Critically ill patients and those with higher NRS score had a higher risk of mortality and longer stay in hospital. In logistic regression models, 1-unit increase in NRS score was associated with the risk of mortality increasing by 1.23 times (adjusted odds ratio, 2.23; 95% CI, 1.10-4.51; P = .026).

CONCLUSIONS

Most severely and critically ill patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 are at nutrition risk. The patients with higher nutrition risk have worse outcome and require nutrition therapy.