Low standardized phase angle predicts prolonged hospitalization in critically ill patients.

Objective: Evaluate the performance of phase angle (PA) in identifying malnutrition and in predicting clinical outcomes in critical adult patients.

Methods: A longitudinal observational study with secondary data from Nossa Senhora da Conceição Hospital (Porto Alegre) and Risoleta Tolentino Neves Hospital (Belo Horizonte) involving critically ill patients assessed for nutritional status by subjective global assessment (SGA) and by anthropometry in the first 48 h after admission to the intensive care unit (ICU). The PA was evaluated from the realization of the bioelectrical impedance.