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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2021 Sep:89:111279.
doi: 10.1016/j.nut.2021.111279. Epub 2021 Apr 22.

The impact of nutritional support on malnourished inpatients with aging-related vulnerability

Annic Baumgartner  1 , Daphne Pachnis  1 , Lucie Parra  1 , Lara Hersberger  1 , Annika Bargetzi  1 , Laura Bargetzi  1 , Nina Kaegi-Braun  2 , Pascal Tribolet  3 , Filomena Gomes  4 , Claus Hoess  5 , Vojtech Pavlicek  5 , Stefan Bilz  6 , Sarah Sigrist  6 , Michael Braendle  7 , Christoph Henzen  8 , Robert Thomann  9 , Jonas Rutishauser  10 , Drahomir Aujesky  11 , Nicolas Rodondi  12 , Jacques Donzé  13 , Zeno Stanga  14 , Beat Mueller  1 , Philipp Schuetz  15
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Free article
Randomized Controlled Trial

The impact of nutritional support on malnourished inpatients with aging-related vulnerability

Annic Baumgartner et al. Nutrition. 2021 Sep.
Free article

Abstract

Objectives: Malnutrition is highly prevalent in patients with aging-related vulnerability defined by very old age (≥80 y), physical frailty or cognitive impairment, and increases the risks for morbidity and mortality. The effects of individualized nutritional support for patients with aging-related vulnerability in the acute hospital setting on mortality and other clinical outcomes remains understudied.

Methods: For this secondary analysis of the randomized-controlled Effect of Early Nutritional Support on Frailty, Functional Outcomes, and Recovery of Malnourished Medical Inpatients Trial (EFFORT), we analyzed data of patients at a nutritional risk (Nutritional Risk Screening 2002 score ≥3 points) with aging-related vulnerability, randomized to receive protocol-guided individualized nutritional support to reach specific protein and energy goals (intervention group) or routine hospital food (control group). The primary endpoint was all-cause 30-d mortality.

Results: Of the 881 patients with aging-related vulnerability, 23.4% presented with a frailty syndrome, 81.8% were age ≥80 y and 15.3% showed cognitive impairment. Patients with aging-related vulnerability receiving individualized nutritional support compared with routine hospital food showed a >50% reduction in the risk of 30-day mortality (60 of 442 [13.6%] versus 31 of 439 [7.1%]; odds ratio: 0.48; 95% confidence interval, 0.31-0.76; P = 0.002). Significant improvements were also found for long-term mortality at 180 days, as well as functional outcomes and quality of life measures.

Conclusions: Malnourished patients with aging-related vulnerability show a significant and clinically relevant reduction in the risk of mortality and other adverse clinical outcomes after individualized in-hospital nutritional support compared to routine hospital nutrition. These data support the early screening of patients with aging-related vulnerability for nutritional risk, followed by a nutritional assessment and implementation of individualized nutritional interventions.

Keywords: Dementia; Frailty; Geriatric; Malnutrition; Nutritional support.

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