Relation of nutritional status to physiological outcomes after cardiac surgery in elderly patients with diabetes mellitus: a preliminary study.

Abstract

To determine differences in physiological outcome (PO) based on the Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI) and cut-off values for PO according to the GNRI in elderly post-cardiac surgery patients complicated by diabetes mellitus (DM). Thirty-five patients (72.9years) were enrolled and divided by GNRI. Patient characteristics and PO of handgrip strength (HG), knee extensor muscle strength (KEMS), maximum gait speed (GS), and one-leg standing time (OLST) were compared between the groups, and cut-off values for PO were determined. These POs were significantly lower in the low-GNRI group (<92 points) than in the high-GNRI (≥92 points) group. The cut-off values for PO were HG, 22.7kgf; KEMS, 41.5%BW; GS, 1.2m/sec; and OLST, 6.7s. Nutritional status might influence PO following cardiac surgery. The cut-off values of PO reported here might be indicative of the need to improve patient nutritional status.