title: Preoperative nutritional screening by the specialist instead of the nutritional risk score might prevent excess nutrition: a multivariate analysis of nutritional risk factors.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim of the current study was to assess whether widely used nutritional parameters are correlated with the nutritional risk score (NRS-2002) to identify postoperative morbidity and to evaluate the role of nutritionists in nutritional assessment.
  
  
  METHODS
  A randomized trial on preoperative nutritional interventions (NCT00512213) provided the study cohort of 152 patients at nutritional risk (NRS-2002 ≥3) with a comprehensive phenotyping including diverse nutritional parameters (n=17), elaborated by nutritional specialists, and potential demographic and surgical (n=5) confounders. Risk factors for overall, severe (Dindo-Clavien 3-5) and infectious complications were identified by univariate analysis; parameters with P<0.20 were then entered in a multiple logistic regression model.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Final analysis included 140 patients with complete datasets. Of these, 61 patients (43.6%) were overweight, and 72 patients (51.4%) experienced at least one complication of any degree of severity. Univariate analysis identified a correlation between few (≤3) active co-morbidities (OR=4.94; 95% CI: 1.47-16.56, p=0.01) and overall complications. Patients screened as being malnourished by nutritional specialists presented less overall complications compared to the not malnourished (OR=0.47; 95% CI: 0.22-0.97, p=0.043). Severe postoperative complications occurred more often in patients with low lean body mass (OR=1.06; 95% CI: 1-1.12, p=0.028). Few (≤3) active co-morbidities (OR=8.8; 95% CI: 1.12-68.99, p=0.008) were related with postoperative infections. Patients screened as being malnourished by nutritional specialists presented less infectious complications (OR=0.28; 95% CI: 0.1-0.78), p=0.014) as compared to the not malnourished. Multivariate analysis identified few co-morbidities (OR=6.33; 95% CI: 1.75-22.84, p=0.005), low weight loss (OR=1.08; 95% CI: 1.02-1.14, p=0.006) and low hemoglobin concentration (OR=2.84; 95% CI: 1.22-6.59, p=0.021) as independent risk factors for overall postoperative complications. Compliance with nutritional supplements (OR=0.37; 95% CI: 0.14-0.97, p=0.041) and supplementation of malnourished patients as assessed by nutritional specialists (OR=0.24; 95% CI: 0.08-0.69, p=0.009) were independently associated with decreased infectious complications.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Nutritional support based upon NRS-2002 screening might result in overnutrition, with potentially deleterious clinical consequences. We emphasize the importance of detailed assessment of the nutritional status by a dedicated specialist before deciding on early nutritional intervention for patients with an initial NRS-2002 score of ≥3.
authors.affiliation: Department of Visceral Surgery, University Hospital CHUV, Bugnon 46, 1011, Lausanne, Switzerland. fabian.grass@chuv.ch.
authors.forename: Fabian
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Grass
authors.affiliation: Department of Visceral Surgery, University Hospital CHUV, Bugnon 46, 1011, Lausanne, Switzerland. martin.hubner@chuv.ch.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hübner
authors.affiliation: Department of Visceral Surgery, University Hospital CHUV, Bugnon 46, 1011, Lausanne, Switzerland. markus.schafer@chuv.ch.
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schäfer
authors.affiliation: Institute for Social and Preventive Medicine, University Hospital CHUV, Lausanne, Switzerland. pierluigi.ballabeni@chuv.ch.
authors.forename: Pierluigi
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ballabeni
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, University Hospital CHUV, Lausanne, Switzerland. yannick.cerantola@chuv.ch.
authors.forename: Yannick
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Cerantola
authors.affiliation: Department of Visceral Surgery, University Hospital CHUV, Bugnon 46, 1011, Lausanne, Switzerland. demartines@chuv.ch.
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Demartines
authors.affiliation: Clinical Nutrition Unit, University Hospital CHUV, Lausanne, Switzerland. francois.pralong@chuv.ch.
authors.forename: François P
authors.initials: FP
authors.lastname: Pralong
authors.affiliation: Clinical Nutrition Unit, University Hospital CHUV, Lausanne, Switzerland. pauline.coti@chuv.ch.
authors.forename: Pauline Coti
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Bertrand
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D009752:Nutritional Status; D018529:Nutritional Support / Q000379:methods*; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011300:Preoperative Care / Q000379:methods*; D012307:Risk Factors