Risk of malnutrition in general surgical patients

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study is to determine the malnutrition risk of patients hospitalized in the general surgery clinic and to evaluate the relationship between malnutrition risk and anthropometric measurements. Material and Methods: The study was carried out with 228 adults who were hospitalized in the general surgery clinic. Weight, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, upper middle arm circumference (MUAC), triceps skinfold thickness (TSF) and handgrip strength measurements were taken. The nutritional status of the patients was evaluated with Nutritional Risk Screening (NRS)-2002 and Subjective Global Assessment (SGA). Results: According to the NRS-2002, 30.3% of patients had a risk of malnutrition; according to the SGA 34.2% had moderate and 12.3% had severe malnutrition. The anthropometric measurements evaluated in the study and the length of hospital stay (LHOS) were found to be related to the NRS-2002 score and SGA level (p