Abstract
This study aimed to determine the prevalence of malnutrition and its association with wound healing and length of hospitalization among patients undergoing abdominal surgery admitted to hospitals in the Wolaita zone in southern Ethiopia. Methods. An institution-based prospective observational study was conducted in three hospitals in the Wolaita zone from August to October 2016. All eligible individuals aged between 19 and 55 years were recruited in this study. Anthropometric and biochemical analyses, such as serum albumin (Alb) and total lymphocyte count (TLC), were taken for nutritional assessment during the preoperative period. Quantitative variables were compared using Student's t test. Cox's regression was employed to determine which variables were possible risk factors for poor wound healing. Results. A total of 105 patients aged 19 to 55 with a mean age (±SD) of 34 ± 9.6 years were included, and the prevalence of preoperative malnutrition was 27.6%, 87%, according to BMI and nutritional risk index, respectively. Poor wound healing was significantly associated with underweight patients (BMI < 18.5 kg/m2) (AHR: 6.5 : 95%CI: 3.312.9), postoperative weight loss (AHR: 4.9; 95%CI: 2.8–8.5), and nutritional risk index (NRI) less than 97.5 (AHR 1.8; 95% CI: 1.09–3.1). Conclusion. The prevalence of malnutrition is high in our study setup; this is associated with an increased risk of adverse postoperative outcomes. Therefore, our results emphasize the need of routine preoperative nutritional assessment, optimizing nutritional status of patients and postoperative nutritional support.
Highlights
Preoperative nutritional status has been shown to have important effects on health during recovery from illness or injury
Undernutrition develops as a result of scarcity in dietary intake, increased requirements associated with a disease state, complications of an underlying illness such as poor absorption and excessive nutrient losses, or a combination of these aforementioned factors
E nutritional parameters associated with poor wound healing were as follows: body mass index at admission (BMI < 18 kg/m2), preoperative nutritional risk index (NRI < 97), and postoperative weight loss. e prevalence of malnutrition according to Body mass index (BMI) was 27.6%
Summary
Preoperative nutritional status has been shown to have important effects on health during recovery from illness or injury. Undernutrition develops as a result of scarcity in dietary intake, increased requirements associated with a disease state, complications of an underlying illness such as poor absorption and excessive nutrient losses, or a combination of these aforementioned factors. A positive outcome for surgery depends greatly on adequate immune defense and wound healing; it requires a whole nutritional effort. Us, the extent and time of healing of patients postoperatively significantly depends on the nutritional status of the individual [1,2,3,4]. Nutritional screening and therapy play an important role in the success of surgery; clean surgical wound often heal by primary intention. Infection is one of the most common local factors that affect the healing process. Healing depends on the delivery of blood with the delivery of oxygen, nutrients, and leukocytes to the wound site. Some specific conditions like anemia and systemic disease can weaken the healing process [5,6,7]
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