title: Nutrition: its relationship to orthopedic infections.
abstract: The malnutrition of orthopedic surgical patients plays an important role in the development of complications, including infection. A high index of suspicion that malnutrition exists or will soon exist in patients who are subjected to significant stress, trauma, or surgery will lead the clinician to take measures to avoid further protein calorie deficits and replenish the patient's nutritional needs. There are many pathways in which malnutrition causes a propensity for infection, and these have been discussed. Meeting the patient's nutritional needs should avoid some of the complications of infections in orthopedic surgery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Children's Hospital, San Francisco, California.
authors.forename: T K
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Smith
mesh_terms: D004734:Energy Metabolism; D004750:Enteral Nutrition; D006801:Humans; D007239:Infections / Q000209:etiology*; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D009748:Nutrition Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D009751:Nutritional Requirements; D009985:Orthopedics; D010289:Parenteral Nutrition, Total; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000209:etiology*; D012307:Risk Factors