Evaluation of a relationship between nutritional risk and nutritional support in elderly hospitalized patients with gastrointestinal cancer / 中华老年医学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To evaluate a relationship between the nutritional risk and nutritional support in elderly hospitalized patients (aged ≥ 65 years) with gastrointestinal cancer,and to analyze the relationship between nutrition support and clinical outcomes.Methods Elderly hospitalized patients with gastrointestinal cancer were recruited from September 2009 to November 2011.Patients were screened using Nutritional Risk Screening 2002 (NRS 2002) on admission.Data were collected on the application of nutrition support,including complication rate,length of hospital stay and medical care costs.Results In 592 recruited patients,the malnutrition rate was 14.0％ (83/592) and the rate of a validated nutrition risk was 43.7％ (259/592).79.2％ of patients with nutritional risk received nutritional support while 62.2％of non-risk patients received nutritional support.The case numbers of paraenteral nutrition (PN),enteral nutrition(EN) and paraenteral nutrition + enteral nutrition(PN + EN) were 141,64 and 49 respectively,with the PN:EN ratio of 2.2 ∶ 1.The rate of postoperative complications,lengths of hospital stay and medical care cost were higher in patients with nutritional risk than without nutritional risk[complications 39.8 ％ (103/259) vs.20.4 ％ (68/333),lengths of hospital stay (17.1±4.8) d vs.(12.6±3.6) d,medical care cost(62 191.5 ±4 251.2) RMB vs.(46 792.3±3 115.4) RMB,x2 =26.55 or t=13.03,50.84 respectively,all P＜ 0.01].The average of the rate of postoperative complication [36.8 ％ (75/205) vs.45.9％ (20/44),x2 =19.38,P＜0.01],length of hospital stay [(15.6±3.5) d vs.(18.1±5.4) d,(12.1±4.8) d vs.(15.6±3.5) d,P＜0.05 or 0.01] and medical care cost[62843.3±3491.7) RMB vs.(68925.1± 4633.2) RMB,(53410.5±1954.3) RMBvs.(59857.3±3221.6) RMB,allP＜0.05 or0.01] were lower or shorter in elderly gastric cancer or colorectal cancer patients with nutritional support than in patients without nutritional support.Conclusions A considerable numbers of elderly hospitalized patients with gastrointestinal cancer are at nutritional risk.There is significant relationship between the nutritional risk and clinical outcome.Nutritional support for elderly hospitalized patients with nutritional risk may improve the clinical outcome.