Preoperative prediction and quantification of septic risk caused by malnutrition
S. Nazari, R. Dionigi, I. Comodi, P. Dionigi and M. Campani
Evaluation of the nutritional status of surgical patients was carried out
by means of cluster analysis of several indicators to identify different
nutritional conditions that could be considered frames of reference for the
prediction of postoperative infections. Seventy-one surgical patients
entered into the first phase of the study that identified four nutritional
situations with a different incidence of postoperative sepsis; cluster 1
showed the lowest incidence of infectious episodes, and clusters 2 to 4
were characterized by a higher incidence of sepsis and other complications.
In the second phase of the study, 28 patients were examined and compared
with the four reference states by means of the determinations of the
euclidean distance between the nutritional assessment of the patient and
the barycenter of each of the reference states. The incidence of sepsis was
similar in the two series of patients, indicating that the characterization
of patients in one of the four reference states allows one to predict the
risk of postoperative septic complications.
