Nutritional assessment of orthopedic patients.
Eighty-two consecutive orthopedic patients were assessed nutritionally at the time of hospital admission and then at 10-day intervals until hospital dismissal. Forty-eight percent of the patients had one or more abnormal findings suggestive of protein-calorie malnutrition. In spite of this prevalence of abnormal findings, only patients with three abnormal findings or a serum albumin concentration of less than 3.5 g/dl had a longer-than-average hospital stay. During hospitalization, abnormal findings developed on only three patients, whereas one or more abnormal nutrition-related findings improved to reach the normal range in six patients.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000886:Anthropometry; D001835:Body Weight; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009985:Orthopedics; D011502:Protein-Energy Malnutrition / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012709:Serum Albumin / Q000032:analysis; D012885:Skinfold Thickness; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000150:complications
D012709:Serum Albumin