Cardiac surgery-specific screening tool identifies preoperative undernutrition in cardiac surgery.

Background: Loss of body tissue resulting in undernutrition can be caused by reduced food intake, altered metabolism, ageing, and physical inactivity. The predominant cause of undernutrition before cardiac operations is unknown. First, we explored the association of reduced food intake and inactivity with undernutrition in patients before elective cardiac operations.

Accuracy of quick and easy undernutrition screening tools--Short Nutritional Assessment Questionnaire, Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool, and modified Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool--in patients undergoing cardiac surgery.

The objective of this study was to compare the quick-and-easy undernutrition screening tools, ie, Short Nutritional Assessment Questionnaire and Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool, in patients undergoing cardiac surgery with respect to their accuracy in detecting undernutrition measured by a low-fat free mass index (FFMI; calculated as kg/m(2)), and secondly, to assess their association with postoperative adverse outcomes. Between February 2008 and December 2009, a single-center observational cohort study was performed (n=325). A low FFMI was set at ≤14.

The impact of low preoperative fat-free body mass on infections and length of stay after cardiac surgery: a prospective cohort study.

Objective: Several studies have shown low fat-free mass index to be a stronger predictor for mortality than low body mass index. The main aim of this study was to assess the still unknown association between preoperative low fat-free mass index and adverse cardiac surgical outcomes.

Methods: In a prospective observational study, fat-free mass index was determined by bioelectric impedance spectroscopy on hospital admission.

Postoperative loss of skeletal muscle mass, complications and quality of life in patients undergoing cardiac surgery.

Objective: The objective of this study was to describe postoperative undernutrition in terms of postoperative losses of appendicular skeletal muscle mass (ASMM) with respect to complications, quality of life, readmission, and 1-y mortality after cardiac surgery.

Methods: Patients undergoing cardiac surgery were prospectively followed. ASMM was measured 2 wk before and 2 mo after surgery using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry.

Rationale and design of a proof-of-concept trial investigating the effect of uninterrupted perioperative (par)enteral nutrition on amino acid profile, cardiomyocytes structure, and cardiac perfusion and metabolism of patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting.

Background: Malnutrition is very common in patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Malnutrition can change myocardial substrate utilization which can induce adverse effects on myocardial metabolism and function. We aim to investigate the hypothesis that there is a disturbed amino acids profile in the cardiac surgical patient which can be normalized by (par)enteral nutrition before, during and after surgery, subsequently improving cardiomyocyte structure, cardiac perfusion and glucose metabolism.

Preoperative and postoperative agreement in fat free mass (FFM) between bioelectrical impedance spectroscopy (BIS) and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) in patients undergoing cardiac surgery.

Background & Aims: To measure undernutrition in terms of fat free mass (FFM), there are several options. The aim of this study was to assess agreement in FFM between the portable, bedside bioelectrical impedance spectrometry (BIS) and relatively expensive, non-portable dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) in patients undergoing cardiac surgery.

Methods: In a prospective study, body composition measurements by BIS and DXA were performed two weeks prior and two months after cardiac surgery.

Preoperative protein and energy intake and postoperative complications in well-nourished, non-hospitalized elderly cardiac surgery patients.

Background & Aims: Little is known about the impact of preoperative protein or energy intake in relation to the occurrence of postoperative complications in patients who are not undernourished but cannot keep up their daily protein or energy requirements prior to cardiac surgery. Therefore, a prospective study on intake in preoperatively well-nourished, non-hospitalized cardiac surgery patients (>or= 65 y) was carried out.

Methods: Between December 2004 and November 2005 preoperative protein and energy intake and postoperative outcome data were collected from 100 consecutive patients undergoing cardiac surgery.

Preoperative unintended weight loss and low body mass index in relation to complications and length of stay after cardiac surgery.

Background: Several studies reported increased adverse outcomes after cardiac surgery in patients with low body mass index (BMI; in kg/m(2)). Little is known yet, however, about the effect of preoperative unintended weight loss (UWL) in cardiac surgery patients.

Objective: We explored the prevalence and effect of UWL in view of low BMI and vice versa adjusted for a validated set of preoperative risks, inflammatory activity, and duration of extracorporeal circulation on postoperative adverse outcome.