[A preliminary study on the relationship between nutritional status and postoperative complications in patients with head and neck malignancies].
OBJECTIVE
To study the role of nutritional factor in the development of postoperative complications in patients with head and neck malignancies.


METHODS
Postoperative complications of 96 patients with head and neck malignancies who were operated on were surveyed. Twenty-seven developed postoperative complications; the remaining 69 went uneventful. Comparisons of nutritional status and clinical variables between these two groups were made.


RESULTS
1. The prevalence of poor preoperative nutritional status in the complication group (56%) was higher as compared with that in the noncomplication group (20%) (P < 0.001); 2. values of body weight, triceps skin fold thickness, arm circumference, arm muscle circumference, and creatinine-height index in the complication group decreased much more significantly than in the noncomplication group (P < 0.001); 3. the nitrogen and calorie intake within the first postoperative week was lower in the complication group than in the non-complication group (P < 0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
Nutritional factor plays a very important role in the development of postoperative complication and the perioperative nutritional support for head and neck surgical patients should not be ignored.
Guo
C
C
Department of Maxillofacial Surgery, School of Stomatology, Beijing Medical University, Beijing 100081.
Ma
D
D
Zhang
K
K
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009752:Nutritional Status; D011183:Postoperative Complications