Preoperative nutrition-enhanced recovery after surgery protocol for thoracic neoplasms.

OBJECTIVES: Because patients' preoperative nutritional status influences the outcomes, we have used a preoperative nutrition program for surgical patients for a 2-year period and compared the results with those from a cohort treated in the previous 2 years. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed curative thoracic neoplasm resections from July 15, 2016, to July 15, 2018, in patients who had received a preoperative nutritional-enhanced recovery after surgery (N-ERAS) protocol. The protocol consisted of 5 days of an oral immunonutrition drink 3 times daily, daily receipt of probiotics, and a carbohydrate-loading drink the night before surgery. The historical control cohort (standard group) included those patients who had undergone surgery by the same surgeon during the previous 24 months. We excluded patients who had undergone esophageal, diagnostic, benign, emergency, or palliative procedures. Nonparametric and parametric statistical tests were used to analyze the data. RESULTS: The data from 462 patients were analyzed: 229 N-ERAS patients and 233 standard patients. No significant demographic or caseload differences were found between the 2 groups. The major significant outcome differences included fewer postoperative complications (30 [13.1%] in the N-ERAS group vs 60 [25.8%] in the standard group; P < .001) and shorter hospital stays (3.8 ± 1.9 days for the N-ERAS group vs 4.4 ± 2.6 days for the standard group; P = .001). Use of the N-ERAS protocol resulted in a 16% reduction ($2198; P < .001) in the mean direct hospital costs/patient. Consequently, for the N-ERAS cohort, the hospital was likely saved $503,342 during the 2-year period for the 229 patients just by using the N-ERAS protocol. CONCLUSIONS: Thoracic surgeons should consider using the nontoxic, patient-compliant N-ERAS protocol for their patients, with an expectation of improved clinical results at lower hospital costs-an important consideration when exploring methods to decrease costs because hospitals are increasingly being paid by a negotiated prospective bundled payment reimbursement model.

Modern Challenges to Gastrointestinal Nutrition Physicians and the Nutrition Support Team: Cautionary Tales and Call to Action.

The current climate of healthcare economics in the United States has imposed unprecedented market stressors on health institutions traditionally providing tertiary care to those with the most challenging healthcare needs. In such a stressed financial atmosphere, administrators look to streamline costs and cut margins as tightly as possible. This often results in restructuring, consolidating, or closing service lines that are perceived as unprofitable or unsupportable. Nutrition support often falls into this category because of few sources of direct revenue-generating activities and poor reimbursement from third-party payers. This article discusses the challenges to modern nutrition support teams, particularly those with gastroenterologists as physician leaders, and delineates market forces that need shifting to continue to make this a viable part of the healthcare system.

Economic value of nutritional support methods in gastrointestinal cancer: A quantitative meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Multiple studies of the relative economic value of different nutritional support methods for patients with gastrointestinal cancer have provided inconsistent results. METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN: The PUBMED and EMBASE databases were systematically searched through September 30, 2018to identify latent studies of the benefits of parenteral nutrition (PN), enteral nutrition (EN) or conventional intervention (CI) in gastrointestinal cancer patients. A fixed-effects model or random-effects model was applied depending on the heterogeneity of the studies. Statistical analysis was conducted using R software. A total of 728 studies were reviewed, and 21 studies published from 1998 to 2018 were included in the final analysis. RESULTS: The results showed that the hospitalization expenditure of the EN group was 3938 RMB less than that of the PN group. Similarly, the EN group had a shorter length of hospitalization than the PN and CI groups. The infection rate was lower in the EN group (12%) than in the PN group (16%) and CI group (20%). Subgroup analysis showed that gastrointestinal cancer patients who received oral nutritional supplements had the lowest infection rate (11%) after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: EN, especially oral nutritional supplements, has a positive economic impact on patients with gastrointestinal cancer, based on reductions in the post-operative infection rate, length of hospitalization, and hospitalization expenditure.

Economic evaluation of individualized nutritional support in medical inpatients: Secondary analysis of the EFFORT trial.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Existing guidelines support the importance of nutritional interventions for medical inpatients at malnutrition risk to alleviate the impact of malnutrition on outcomes. While recent studies have reported positive effects of nutritional support on health outcomes, limited evidence exists on whether in-hospital nutritional support also results in economic advantages. We report the results of the economic evaluation of EFFORT-a pragmatic, investigator-initiated, open-label, multicenter trial. METHODS: A total of 2028 medical inpatients at nutritional risk were randomly assigned to receive individualized nutritional support to reach protein and energy goals (intervention group; n = 1015) or standard hospital food (control group; n = 1013). To calculate the economic impact of nutritional support, a Markov model was developed with relevant health states. Costs were estimated for days in normal hospital ward and in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), hospital-acquired complications, and nutritional support. We used a Euro conversion rate of 0.93216 Euro for 1 Swiss Franc (CHF). RESULTS: The estimated per-patient cost was CHF90 (83.78 €) for the in-hospital nutritional support and CHF283.85 (264.23 €) when also considering dietitian consultation time. Overall costs of care within 30 days of admission averaged CHF29,263 (27,240 €) per-patient in the intervention group versus CHF29,477 (27,439 €) in the control group resulting in per-patient cost savings of CHF214 (199 €). Per-patient cost savings was CHF19.56 (18.21 €) when also accounting for dietician costs (full cost analysis). These cost savings were mainly due to reduced ICU length of stay and fewer complications. We also calculated costs to prevent adverse outcomes, which were CHF276 (256 €) for one severe complication, CHF2,675 (2490 €) for one day in ICU, and CHF7,975 (7423 €) for one death. For the full cost analysis, these numbers were CHF872 (811 €), CHF8,459 (7874 €) and CHF25,219 (23,475 €). Sensitivity analyses confirmed the original findings. CONCLUSIONS: Our evaluation demonstrates that in-hospital nutritional support for medical inpatients is a highly cost-effective intervention to reduce risks for ICU admissions and hospital-associated complications, while improving patient survival. The positive clinical and economic benefits of nutritional support in at-risk medical inpatients calls for comprehensive nutrition programs, including malnutrition screening, consultation, and nutritional support. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT02517476.

Nutritional concerns of survivors of childhood cancer: A "First World" perspective.

Childhood cancer survivor (CCS) numbers are increasing as a result of advances in both treatment and supportive care. This positive outcome is tempered by the recognition of a high burden of chronic health conditions. Here, we review the nutritional concerns of CCS, including dietary habits after treatment and the factors during treatment that may contribute to chronic health conditions. Dietary interventions that have been conducted in CCS will be summarized along with focused goals of these interventions. We will also address the need to leverage these interventions to reduce the risk of chronic disease in CCS.

Optimizing the Use of Human Milk Cream Supplement in Very Preterm Infants: Growth and Cost Outcomes.

BACKGROUND: An exclusive human milk-based diet has been shown to decrease necrotizing enterocolitis and improve outcomes for infants ≤1250 g birth weight. Studies have shown that infants who received an exclusive human milk diet with a donor-human milk-derived cream supplement (cream) had improved weight and length velocity when the cream was added to mother's own milk or donor-human milk when energy was <20 kcal/oz using a human milk analyzer. Our objective was to compare growth and cost outcomes of infants ≤1250 g birth weight fed with an exclusive human milk diet, with and without human milk cream, without the use of a human milk analyzer. METHODS: Two cohorts of human milk-fed premature infants were compared from birth to 34 weeks postmenstrual age. Group 1 (2010-2011) received a donor-human milk fortifier, whereas Group 2 (2015-2016) received donor-human milk fortifier plus the commercial cream supplement, if weight gain was <15 g/kg/d. RESULTS: There was no difference in growth between the 2 groups for weight (P = 0.32) or head circumference (P = 0.90). Length velocity was greater for Group 1 (P = 0.03). The mean dose of donor-human milk fortifier was lower in Group 2 (P < 0.001). Group 2 saved an average of $2318 per patient on the cost of human milk products (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Infants receiving a human milk diet with cream supplementation for growth faltering achieve appropriate growth in a cost-effective feeding strategy.

Four of five tuberculosis patients experience catastrophic costs related to TB diagnosis and care in Timor-Leste.

SETTING: Seventeen health care facilities that report to the national tuberculosis (TB) programme in Timor-Leste. Participants were TB patients.OBJECTIVE: To determine the proportion of TB patients who experienced catastrophic costs due to their TB diagnosis and care, and the magnitude and composition of these costs.DESIGN: This was a cross-sectional health facility-based survey, conducted in 17 DOTS centres between October 2016 and March 2017. TB patients were interviewed by trained nurses using a standardised questionnaire.RESULTS: Among the 457 TB patients who participated (response rate 96.6%), the median age was 32 years; 39.2% were from the capital, Dili. The patient was the main income earner in 26.3% of households. Annual individual and household incomes before and after TB diagnosis decreased by respectively 30.4% and 31.1%. Using a cut-off of 20% of annual household income, 83.0% of patients experienced catastrophic costs related to their TB diagnosis and care. Income loss and nutritional supplementation accounted for respectively 40.7% and 37.9% of these costs.CONCLUSION: Four of five TB patients in Timor-Leste experienced catastrophic costs related to TB diagnosis and care. Financial and social protection to mitigate against these costs are urgently needed, in addition to universal health coverage.

Demonstrating the Value of the Nutrition Support Team to the C-Suite in a Value-Based Environment: Rise or Demise of Nutrition Support Teams?

Nutrition support teams (NSTs) in the United States have had to justify their existence since their inception in the 1970s. Concomitant with those efforts, changes in healthcare financing have challenged hospital administrators to adapt their reimbursement strategies and methods. NSTs, if they are to survive and/or thrive, must be aware of the convulsive currents of change faced by those who determine which programs move downstream and which find their demise on the banks of the stream. This review provides a historical perspective of both the US healthcare financing system and the NST experiences of nutrition clinicians over the past 4 decades. Focused discussions of 5 teams are provided from individual members of those varied NSTs. Additional recommendations from the administrative side of the equation are presented by 3 administrators. Whether NSTs will "rise or demise" depends on many factors. Understanding what those who control the purse strings are seeking in terms of salutary cost and quality outcomes in the current value-based system will facilitate the NST's communication with them. The demonstration of the NST's value is more likely to succeed when bolstered by current evidence-based data as applied to the specific institution. These efforts can be carried out by a formal NST in larger or academic institutions or a "virtual" team with a single individual coordinating the services in a transdisciplinary fashion, employing the acronym ACT (accountability, communication, [transdisciplinary] teamwork).

Adherence of nutritional support prescriptions to clinical practice guidelines in patients with anorexia nervosa.

INTRODUCTION: Background: nutritional support (NS) is a core element in the treatment of underweight patients with anorexia nervosa (AN). Objective: to analyze the adherence of NS prescriptions to clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) for AN patients and to compare the effectiveness, safety, and cost of NS according to adherence. Methods: this retrospective observational study included AN patients admitted to an Eating Disorders Unit between January 2006 and December 2009 and followed until December 2014. NS prescriptions were compared with guidelines published by the American Psychiatric Association (APA), the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE), and the Spanish Ministry of Health and Consumption (SMHC). Adherence was defined as percentage of hospitalizations that followed all recommendations. Results: adherence to APA and NICE/SMHC was observed in 10.2% and 73.4%, respectively, of the total of 177 hospitalizations. Body weight and body mass index were higher at admission in the NICE/SMHC adherence versus non-adherence group (p < 0.001). Weight gain rate during hospitalization was higher (p = 0.009) in "APA adherence" (135.5 g/day) versus "non-adherence" (92.1 g/day) group. Hospital stay was significantly shorter (p = 0.025) in "NICE/SMHC adherence" (39.5 days) versus "non-adherence" group (50.0 days). NICE/SMHC adherence was associated with lower costs (p = 0.006). Conclusions: NS prescriptions for anorexic patients more frequently followed NICE/SMHC than APA recommendations. Over the short-term, APA adherence was associated with improved weight gain. Patients adhering to NICE/SMHC recommendations had shorter hospital stay and reduced costs, likely due to their more favorable nutritional status at admission.

INTRODUCCIÓN: Introducción: el soporte nutricional (SN) es un elemento clave en el tratamiento de la anorexia nerviosa (AN). Objetivo: analizar la adecuación de las prescripciones de SN en pacientes con AN a las guías de práctica clínica (GPC) y comparar la efectividad, seguridad y coste según la adecuación. Métodos: estudio observacional retrospectivo en pacientes con AN ingresados en una Unidad de Trastornos de Conducta Alimentaria entre enero de 2006 y diciembre de 2009. Se hizo seguimiento hasta diciembre de 2014. Se compararon las prescripciones de SN con las GPC publicadas por la Asociación Americana de Psiquiatría (APA), el Instituto Nacional de Excelencia Clínica (NICE) y el Ministerio Español de Sanidad y Consumo (MSC). Se definió adecuación como porcentaje de ingresos que cumplieron todas las recomendaciones. Resultados: el grado de adecuación a APA y NICE/MSC fue del 10,2% y 73,4%, respectivamente. El peso corporal y el índice de masa corporal al ingreso fueron mayores en el grupo "sí-adecuación" al NICE/MSC versus "no-adecuación" (p < 0,001). La tasa de ganancia ponderal fue superior (p = 0,009) en el grupo "sí-adecuación" a APA (135.5 g/día) versus "no-adecuación" (92,1 g/día). La estancia hospitalaria fue menor (p = 0,025) en "sí-adecuación" al NICE/MSC (39,5 días) versus "no-adecuación" (50,0 días). La adecuación al NICE/MSC fue asociada con menores costes (p = 0,006). Conclusiones: las prescripciones de SN se ajustaron en mayor grado al NICE/MSC que a la APA. La adecuación a APA parece relacionarse con mayor tasa de ganancia ponderal. Los pacientes que se adecuaron al NICE/MSC presentaron menores estancias hospitalarias y costes, probablemente relacionado con su estado nutricional más favorable al ingreso.

Economic Evaluation of Nutrition Support in the Prevention and Treatment of Pressure Ulcers in Acute and Chronic Care Settings: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: Recent developments in nutrition intervention indicated clinical effectiveness for pressure ulcer (PU) prevention and treatment, but it is important to assess whether they are cost-effective. The aims of this systematic review are to determine the cost-effectiveness and clinical outcomes of nutrition support in PU prevention and treatment. METHODS: A systematic search of randomized controlled trials, observational studies, and statistical models that investigated cost-effectiveness and economic outcomes for prevention and/or treatment of PUs were performed using standard literature and electronic databases. RESULTS: Fourteen studies met the inclusion criteria, which included 3 randomized controlled trials with their companion economic evaluations, 4 model-based, 2 cohort, 1 pre and post, and 1 prospective controlled trial. Risk of bias assessment for all of the uncontrolled or observational trials revealed high or serious risk of bias. Interventions that incorporated specialized nursing care appeared to be more effective in prevention and treatment of PUs, compared with single intervention studies. There is a trend of improved PU healing when additional energy/protein are provided. PU prevention ($250-$9,800) was less expensive than treatment ($2,500-$16,000). Nutrition intervention for PU prevention was cost-effective in 87.0%-99.99% of the simulation models. CONCLUSIONS: There is potential cost-saving and/or cost-effectiveness of nutrition support in the long term, as predicted by the model-based PU prevention studies in the review. Prevention of PU also appears to be more cost-effective than treatment. A multidisciplinary approach to managing PU is more likely to be cost-effective.

[Comprehensive approach for malnourished patients: aiming for continuity in nutritional support]. / Abordaje integral del paciente desnutrido: buscando la continuidad en el apoyo nutricional.

days of hospitalization, a greater number of complementary tests, the need for artificial nutritional support and / or drugs to treat complications, which is a very important economic burden. Most patients who are malnourished, or at risk, can benefit from oral nutritional support, which includes dietary modifications (fortification, extra snacks, etc.), prescription of a personalized diet by a registered dietitian and the use of oral nutritional supplements (ONS). The use of ONS has shown benefits, in several meta-analysis, in weight recovery, reduction in the number of complications or hospital readmissions and functional improvement, without a reduction in the usual food intake. The use of ONS is particularly cost-effective in certain subgroups of age (frail elderly), nutritional status (previous malnutrition) and underlying disease (hip fracture, abdominal surgery, etc.).On the other hand, there are additional difficulties to evaluate the effect of nutritional support in different healthcare settings (community, nursing home, hospital) since the economic burden in one environment often has an impact on another (for example: hospital readmissions). This circumstance makes it difficult for regulators to control the prescription and generates debate about the continuity of treatments in different settings. The repercussion of an episode of hospitalization on functional status, 30 days after discharge ("post hospital syndrome"), constitutes a transitory period of special vulnerability for comorbidity and hospital readmission risk. The nutritional support (dietary counselling + use of ONS) generates savings of around 5% of the health cost in the intervention group vs "usual practice", together with a significant decrease in the number of hospital readmissions. The nutritional support throughout the different scenarios where the patient is found has proven to be cost-effective, does not involve extra costs per unit of improvement, both clinical and functional, and can be defended from a health economic perspective. These results highlight the need to pay attention to the detection of malnutrition and its treatment as part of standard medical care in the transition process between the hospital and the patient's home. It is the responsibility of the health managers to ensure that the detection and treatment of malnutrition is routinely carried out in their centers, as well as integrating clinical nutrition into standardized medical care. of any patient, which raises the importance of including clinical nutrition in the training plans of the health personnel.

La principal causa de desnutrición en nuestro entorno es la enfermedad. Esta circunstancia lleva asociada un aumento en los costes derivado del aumento de los días de hospitalización, que conlleva un mayor número de pruebas complementarias y el incremento del soporte nutricional artificial y/o de medicamentos para tratar las complicaciones, lo que supone una carga económica muy importante.La mayoría de los pacientes malnutridos o en riesgo de estarlo pueden beneficiarse de apoyo nutricional por vía oral, lo que incluye modificaciones de la dieta (fortificación, snacksextras, etc.), prescripción de una dieta personalizada por una dietista y el uso eventual de suplementos nutricionales orales (SNO).Diversos metaanálisis han demostrado beneficios en el uso de SNO en la recuperación ponderal, en la disminución del número de complicaciones y de reingresos y en una mejoría funcional sin que se produzca una reducción de la ingesta habitual de alimentos. El uso de SNO es particularmente coste-efectivo en determinados subgrupos de edad (ancianos con fragilidad), estado nutricional (desnutrición previa) y enfermedad subyacente (fractura de cadera, cirugía abdominal, etc.). Por otra parte, un paciente que transita entre diferentes entornos sanitarios (centro de salud, residencia sociosanitaria, hospital de agudos) presenta dificultades añadidas para evaluar el efecto del apoyo nutricional, ya que el gasto que realizamos en un entorno repercute con frecuencia en otro (por ejemplo, en los reingresos hospitalarios). Esta circunstancia dificulta el control por parte de los agentes reguladores de la prescripción y genera el debate sobre la continuidad de los tratamientos en los diferentes escenarios. La repercusión de un episodio de hospitalización en el estado funcional a treinta días del alta ("síndrome posthospitalización") constituye un periodo transitorio de especial vulnerabilidad en episodios de comorbilidad y de riesgo de reingreso. El apoyo nutricional (consejo dietético más uso de SNO) genera ahorros de alrededor del 5% del gasto sanitario en los grupos de intervención en comparación con la práctica habitual, junto con una disminución significativa del número de reingresos hospitalarios.El apoyo nutricional a lo largo de los distintos escenarios en los que se encuentre el paciente ha demostrado ser coste-efectivo, ya que no supone costes extras por unidad de mejora, tanto clínica como funcional, por lo que puede ser defendido desde el punto de vista del gasto sanitario.Estos resultados subrayan la necesidad de prestar atención a la detección del riesgo de desnutrición y a su tratamiento como parte del cuidado médico estándar en el proceso de transición entre el hospital y el domicilio del paciente.Es responsabilidad de los gestores asegurar que en sus centros se realice de forma rutinaria la detección y el tratamiento de la malnutrición, tanto en el ámbito hospitalario como en residencias sociosanitarias y en el domicilio, así como integrar la nutrición clínica entre los cuidados médicos estandarizados de cualquier paciente, lo que plantea la importancia de incluir conocimientos en esta materia en los planes formativos del personal sanitario.

Comparison of effectiveness, safety, and costs of standardized and customized parenteral nutrition support among gastric cancer patients after gastrectomy: a retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: To compare the effectiveness, safety, and costs of commercial standardized multi-chamber bag and customized compounded total parenteral nutrition (TPN) among gastric cancer patients after gastrectomy. METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective cohort study was conducted among 64 gastric cancer patients who underwent gastrectomy from 2014 to 2016 in a tertiary teaching hospital in Beijing, China. Patients were categorized into standardized (s-TPN) and customized TPN (c-TPN) groups based on their TPN order after gastrectomy. Patients were followed up until discharge. The effectiveness measures (body mass index (BMI) and albumin) and safety measures (liver and renal functions and electrolytes) were compared before TPN started and after TPN finished within and between the two groups. The length of hospital stay and costs were compared be-tween the two groups. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between the two groups in BMI preserva-tion, metabolic complications, the length of hospital stay and costs, except that both total bilirubin (Tbil) and di-rect bilirubin (Dbil) were significantly higher in the s-TPN group than c-TPN (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: There were no significant differences in effectiveness and safety measures, the length of hospital stay and costs between s-TPN and c-TPN groups, except that s-TPN group was more likely to lead to parenteral nutrition-associated liver disease (PNALD). More studies are needed to confirm the findings of this study in other healthcare settings and study populations.

Abordaje integral del paciente desnutrido: buscando la continuidad en el apoyo nutricional / Comprehensive approach for malnourished patients: aiming for continuity in nutritional support

La principal causa de desnutrición en nuestro entorno es la enfermedad. Esta circunstancia lleva asociada un aumento en los costes derivado del aumento de los días de hospitalización, que conlleva un mayor número de pruebas complementarias y el incremento del soporte nutricional artificial y/o de medicamentos para tratar las complicaciones, lo que supone una carga económica muy importante. La mayoría de los pacientes malnutridos o en riesgo de estarlo pueden beneficiarse de apoyo nutricional por vía oral, lo que incluye modificaciones de la dieta (fortificación, snacks extras, etc.), prescripción de una dieta personalizada por una dietista y el uso eventual de suplementos nutricionales orales (SNO). Diversos metaanálisis han demostrado beneficios en el uso de SNO en la recuperación ponderal, en la disminución del número de complicaciones y de reingresos y en una mejoría funcional sin que se produzca una reducción de la ingesta habitual de alimentos. El uso de SNO es particularmente coste-efectivo en determinados subgrupos de edad (ancianos con fragilidad), estado nutricional (desnutrición previa) y enfermedad subyacente (fractura de cadera, cirugía abdominal, etc.). Por otra parte, un paciente que transita entre diferentes entornos sanitarios (centro de salud, residencia sociosanitaria, hospital de agudos) presenta dificultades añadidas para evaluar el efecto del apoyo nutricional, ya que el gasto que realizamos en un entorno repercute con frecuencia en otro (por ejemplo, en los reingresos hospitalarios). Esta circunstancia dificulta el control por parte de los agentes reguladores de la prescripción y genera el debate sobre la continuidad de los tratamientos en los diferentes escenarios. La repercusión de un episodio de hospitalización en el estado funcional a treinta días del alta ("síndrome posthospitalización") constituye un periodo transitorio de especial vulnerabilidad en episodios de comorbilidad y de riesgo de reingreso. El apoyo nutricional (consejo dietético más uso de SNO) genera ahorros de alrededor del 5% del gasto sanitario en los grupos de intervención en comparación con la práctica habitual, junto con una disminución significativa del número de reingresos hospitalarios. El apoyo nutricional a lo largo de los distintos escenarios en los que se encuentre el paciente ha demostrado ser coste-efectivo, ya que no supone costes extras por unidad de mejora, tanto clínica como funcional, por lo que puede ser defendido desde el punto de vista del gasto sanitario. Estos resultados subrayan la necesidad de prestar atención a la detección del riesgo de desnutrición y a su tratamiento como parte del cuidado médico estándar en el proceso de transición entre el hospital y el domicilio del paciente. Es responsabilidad de los gestores asegurar que en sus centros se realice de forma rutinaria la detección y el tratamiento de la malnutrición, tanto en el ámbito hospitalario como en residencias sociosanitarias y en el domicilio, así como integrar la nutrición clínica entre los cuidados médicos estandarizados de cualquier paciente, lo que plantea la importancia de incluir conocimientos en esta materia en los planes formativos del personal sanitario

Disease is the main cause of malnutrition in our health and social care settings, and it is associated with an increase in costs, as a result of more days of hospitalization, a greater number of complementary tests, the need for artificial nutritional support and / or drugs to treat complications, which is a very important economic burden. Most patients who are malnourished, or at risk, can benefit from oral nutritional support, which includes dietary modifications (fortification, extra snacks, etc.), prescription of a personalized diet by a registered dietitian and the use of oral nutritional supplements (ONS). The use of ONS has shown benefits, in several meta-analysis, in weight recovery, reduction in the number of complications or hospital readmissions and functional improvement, without a reduction in the usual food intake. The use of ONS is particularly cost-effective in certain subgroups of age (frail elderly), nutritional status (previous malnutrition) and underlying disease (hip fracture, abdominal surgery, etc.). On the other hand, there are additional difficulties to evaluate the effect of nutritional support in different healthcare settings (community, nursing home, hospital) since the economic burden in one environment often has an impact on another (for example: hospital readmissions). This circumstance makes it difficult for regulators to control the prescription and generates debate about the continuity of treatments in different settings. The repercussion of an episode of hospitalization on functional status, 30 days after discharge ("post hospital syndrome"), constitutes a transitory period of special vulnerability for comorbidity and hospital readmission risk. The nutritional support (dietary counselling + use of ONS) generates savings of around 5% of the health cost in the intervention group vs "usual practice", together with a significant decrease in the number of hospital readmissions. The nutritional support throughout the different scenarios where the patient is found has proven to be cost-effective, does not involve extra costs per unit of improvement, both clinical and functional, and can be defended from a health economic perspective. These results highlight the need to pay attention to the detection of malnutrition and its treatment as part of standard medical care in the transition process between the hospital and the patient's home. It is the responsibility of the health managers to ensure that the detection and treatment of malnutrition is routinely carried out in their centers, as well as integrating clinical nutrition into standardized medical care. of any patient, which raises the importance of including clinical nutrition in the training plans of the health personnel

NutriCatt protocol in the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) program for colorectal surgery: The nutritional support improves clinical and cost-effectiveness outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative complications and length of hospital stay (LOS) are major issues and affect hospital costs. Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocols are effective in reducing morbidity and LOS after major surgery. We propose a nutritional protocol within ERAS programs in colorectal surgery, starting from preadmission. METHODS: We compared the ERAS + NutriCatt approach versus the ERAS standard program adopted in our center in the previous months. Complications, LOS, hospital readmission at 30 days, and late complications (at 90 days) were assessed and compared. A cost-effectiveness analysis was performed. RESULTS: A total of 114 patients were treated according to the ERAS program between April 2015 and January 2016; 105 were enrolled in the ERAS + NutriCatt protocol from February to September 2016; Patients' characteristics were similar in the two groups, except for American Society of Anesthesiologists score, which was significantly worse in the ERAS + NutriCatt cohort; preoperative diagnoses and surgical approaches were similar in the two periods. LOS was significantly inferior in the ERAS + NutriCatt protocol (4.9 ± 1.7 d; 95% confidence interval [CI] 4.60-5.28) compared with the standard ERAS program (6.1 ± 3.9 d, 95% CI 5.36-6.81) (P = 0.006), as were postoperative complications (36, 34.3% versus 55, 48.2%; P = 0.03). Complications within 90 d were 0 in ERAS + NutriCatt and 4 in the ERAS standard cohort. Cost-effectiveness analyses indicated savings in the ERAS + NutriCatt protocol. CONCLUSIONS: Nutritional care, starting from the preadmission visit, is able to reduce LOS, postoperative and late complications, and costs, in addition to ERAS standard items in colorectal surgery.

Effects of nutritional support on short-term clinical outcomes and immune response in unresectable locally advanced oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

This retrospective study investigated the efficiency of nutritional support in unresectable locally advanced oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (LAOSCC) patients who received concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) based on 5-fluorouracil and cisplatin. In the routine care group, 63 patients served as historical controls and received nutrition support in a reactive manner. In addition, 57 patients in the nutritional support group received timely diet counselling, oral nutritional supplements, enteral nutrition and/or parenteral nutrition during CCRT. This support was based on scores from nutritional risk screening 2002 (NRS-2002) after June 2014. The nutritional support group had significant advantages over the routine care group with respect to the incidence of neutropenia, the objective response rate, the change in serum albumin and the lengths of hospital stay. In addition, the nutritional support group had significantly higher levels of IgG and IL-2, higher proportions of NK, CD3+ and CD4+ cells as well as a higher ratio of CD4+ /CD8+ cells than the routine care group (p < .05). In contrast, the nutritional support group had a significantly lower level of IL-6. In conclusion, the current nutritional care programme could bring benefits of improving treatment compliance, reducing toxicity and lengths of hospital stay and enhancing the immune response.

Impact of nutrition support on clinical outcome and cost-effectiveness analysis in patients at nutritional risk: A prospective cohort study with propensity score matching.

OBJECTIVES: There is a lack of evidence regarding the economic effects of nutrition support in patients at nutritional risk. The aim of this study was to perform a cost-effectiveness analysis by comparing an adequate nutrition support cohort with a no-support cohort. METHOD: A prospective observational study was performed in the surgical and medical gastroenterology wards. We identified patients at nutritional risk and the provision of nutrition support by the staff, unaware of the risk status, was recorded. Cost data were obtained from each patient's statement of accounts, and effectiveness was measured by the rate of infectious complication. To control for potential confounding variables, the propensity score method with matching was carried out. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was calculated based on the matched population. RESULTS: We screened 3791 patients, and 440 were recruited for the analysis. Patients in the nutrition support cohort had a lower incidence of infectious complications than those in the no-support cohort (9.1 versus 18.1%; P = 0.007). This result was similar in the 149 propensity matched pairs (9.4 versus 24.2%; P < 0.001). The median hospital length of stay was significantly reduced among the matched nutrition support patients (13 versus 15 d; P < 0.001). The total costs were similar among the matched pairs (US $6219 versus $6161). The incremental cost-effectiveness analysis suggested that nutrition support cost US $392 per patient prevented from having infectious complications. CONCLUSION: Nutrition support was associated with fewer infectious complications and shorter length of stay in patients at nutritional risk. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio indicated that nutrition support had not increased costs significantly.

Los estudios de costes, herramienta imprescindible en la nutrición clínica del siglo XXI / Cost-effectiveness studies, a necessary tool in clinical nutrition in the XXI century

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Effectiveness and efficacy of nutritional therapy: A systematic review following Cochrane methodology.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Disease-related malnutrition has deleterious consequences on patients' outcome and healthcare costs. The demonstration of improved outcome by appropriate nutritional management is on occasion difficult. The European Society of Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (ESPEN) appointed the Nutrition Education Study Group (ESPEN-NESG) to increase recognition of nutritional knowledge and support in health services. METHODS: To obtain the best available evidence on the potential effects of malnutrition on morbidity, mortality and hospital stay; cost of malnutrition; effect of nutritional treatment on outcome parameters and pharmaco-economics of nutritional therapy, a systematic review of the literature was performed following Cochrane methodology, to answer the following key questions: Q1) Is malnutrition an independent predictive factor for readmission within 30 days from hospital discharge? Q2) Does nutritional therapy reduce the risk of readmission within 30 days from hospital discharge? Q3) Is nutritional therapy cost-effective/does it reduce costs in hospitalized patients? and Q4) Is nutritional therapy cost effective/does it reduce costs in outpatients? RESULTS: For Q1 six of 15 identified observational studies indicated that malnutrition was predictive of re-admissions, whereas the remainder did not. For Q2 nine randomized controlled trials and two meta-analyses gave non-conclusive results whether re-admissions could be reduced by nutritional therapy. Economic benefit and cost-effectiveness of nutritional therapy was consistently reported in 16 identified studies for hospitalized patients (Q3), whereas the heterogeneous and limited corresponding data on out-patients (Q4) indicated cost-benefits in some selected sub-groups. CONCLUSIONS: This result of this review supports the use of nutritional therapy to reduce healthcare costs, most evident from large, homogeneous studies. In general, reports are too heterogeneous and overall of limited quality for conclusions on impact of malnutrition and its treatment on readmissions.