Assessment of nutritional status of the cirrhotic patients on enteral and parenteral feeding.

Background: Cirrhosis is an irreversible disease that replaces healthy tissues with scar tissues. According to the Pakistan Medical Research Council's national general population survey (2008-2014), the ratio of cirrhosis was 4.8% among the population.

Objectives: To assess the nutritional status of cirrhotic patients on enteral and parenteral nutrition and to assess the degree of malnutrition among cirrhotic patients.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at Shalamar and Shiekh Zayed Hospitals of Lahore from January-April 2017. The convenient sampling technique was used. Inclusion criteria were the patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis, whereas compensated patients were excluded from the study. Data were collected through the patient's file, nurse's, and dietitian's notes. The nutritional status of participants was assessed based on socio-demographic characteristics, anthropometric measurements, biochemical assessment, clinical signs, and dietary recall. Variables were categorized and compared to observe the level of significance in enteral and parenteral nutrition. SPSS version 22 was used to analyze data.

Results: Patients on parenteral nutrition had a higher ratio of malnutrition with a significant Child-Pugh score-61.8% of patients belonged to Class C and 35.3% Class B, while in enteral support, 7.3% belonged to Class C and 43.9% patients belonged to Class B (-value = 0.000). There was a definite relationship observed in the route of intake and malnutrition among cirrhotic patients.

Conclusion: Enteral route of nutrition is an effective and the safest way to provide appropriate nutrients according to the patient's demands.