Evaluation of the relationship between preoperative nutritional status and postoperative outcome in children

Background: To evaluate the relation between preoperative nutritional status and postoperative outcome in children. Methods: Children aged between 6 months and 18 years, who underwent surgery were included. Preoperative anthropometric measurements (BMI: body mass index, HFA: Height for age, MUAC: mid upper arm circumference; z-scores) and serum albumin/prealbumin levels and STRONGkids Nutrition Screening Test were evaluated in preoperative assessment. Children with and without preoperative malnutrition were compared for postoperative complications and outcomes. Results: Among 57 invited patients, 51 of them with complete preoperative nutritional assessment and postoperative follow-up were included. The median age was 6.8 years (IQR: 11.2). Male to female ratio was 1.4. According to BMI z-scores, 35.3% of the cases (n=18) had acute malnutrition and 29.4% of them (n=15) had chronic malnutrition. Prealbumin levels were not different between acute and/or chronic malnourished and non-malnourished patients (p=0.744) but albumin levels were lower in malnutrition group (p=0.025). Duration of hospitalization was significantly longer in cases with malnutrition (9.0 vs 4.0 days, p=0.025). There was a significant relationship between the frequency of medium-high risk patients according STRONGkids and the frequency of malnutrition according to z-scores of MUAC (68.4% vs 32.3%; p=0.013) and HFA (93.3% vs 27.8%; p