[Clinical experience in patients with intestinal failure: a cohort study in a third referral hospital].

Abstract

intestinal failure (IF) is an organic failure classified into three types (I-III); it conditions inability to absorb nutrients and water, so parenteral nutrition (PN) is required. to evaluate the characteristics of hospitalized patients with IF, and their association with clinical and nutritional outcomes. historical cohort of hospitalized adults with IF and PN. Variables of the nutritional care process (screening, anthropometric, biochemical, clinical, nutritional), mortality and hospital stay were recorded. six hundred and ninety-seven patients aged 56 (41-68) years, 327 women (46.8 %), with body mass index (BMI) 22.4 (18.3-25.9), were included. 577 patients with IF-I, 96 patients with IF-II, and 24 patients with IF-III. The most frequent causes were malignant neoplasms, IF-I (26.7 %) and surgical complications in IF-II (21.9 %) and IF-III (37.5 %). The most common pathophysiology in all types of IF was motility disorders (40.6 % in IF-I; 43.8 % in IF-II; 33.8 % in IF-III). The majority of patients had high nutritional risk (92.4 %) and refeeding syndrome (65.6 % high and very high). In acute IF (FI-I) compared to prolonged IF (If-II/IF-III) there is a higher BMI (p = 0.039), visceral fat (p = 0.041) and over-hydration (p = 0.014), but they have a smaller phase angle (p = 0.004), with a lower adequacy percentage than what is prescribed in relation to their energy expenditure (p < 0.001). during the nutritional care process there are differences between the types of IF, which are relevant to optimize their multidisciplinary management and avoid related complications.