Clin Nutr Res.  2015 Oct;4(4):242-249. 10.7762/cnr.2015.4.4.242.

Evaluation of Malnutrition Risk after Liver Transplantation Using the Nutritional Screening Tools

• Lim HS
• Kim HC
• Park YH
• Kim SK

• KMID: 2386081
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.7762/cnr.2015.4.4.242

Abstract

Malnutrition is a common problem in patients with end-stage liver disease requiring liver transplantation. The aim of this study was to evaluate nutritional status by using nutritional screening tools [Nutritional Risk Screening (NRS) 2002, Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST) and Subjective Global Assessment (SGA)] in patients before and after liver transplantation. We analyzed medical record, blood test, nutrient intake and malnutrition rate just before transplantation and at discharge, and at 3, 6, 12 months after transplantation respectively. Initially 33 patients enrolled as study subjects and finally 28 patients completed the study. Nutrients intake such as energy, fiber, calcium, potassium, vitamin C, and folate were insufficient at 12 months after transplantation. The rates of malnutrition before transplantation were very high, reported at 81.8% for the NRS 2002, 87.9% for the MUST, and 84.8% for the SGA. By 12 months after operation, malnutrition rates reported at NRS, MUST and SGA had decreased to 6.1%, 10.7%, and 10.7%, respectively. Sensitivity was 87.1% for the NRS 2002, 82.0% for the MUST, and 92.0% for the SGA. Of these screening tools the SGA was the highest sensitive tool that predict the risk of mortality in malnutrition patients who received transplantation. Further studies on nutritional status of patients and proper tools for nutrition intervention are needed to provide adequate nutritional care for patients.

Keyword

Nutritional status; Liver transplantation; Mortality; Sensitivity; Specificity

MeSH Terms

Ascorbic Acid
Calcium
Folic Acid
Hematologic Tests
Humans
Liver Diseases
Liver Transplantation*
Liver*
Malnutrition*
Mass Screening*
Medical Records
Mortality
Nutritional Status
Potassium
Sensitivity and Specificity
Ascorbic Acid
Calcium
Folic Acid
Potassium

Figure

• 

  Figure 1 Flow diagram of patient's participation. LDLT: living donor liver transplantation, CDLT: cadaveric donor liver transplantation.

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