Hospital Malnutrition: Quality Indicator in the ICU of a Hospital in Huancavelica, Periods 2015-2017

Abstract

The objective of the present investigation was to ascertain whether malnutrition in hospitalised patients is a quality indicator in the Intensive Care Unit of a hospital in Huancavelica, during the periods 2015-2017.  The study employed an observational, analytical-relational, retrospective, and longitudinal approach. A total of 51 critically ill patients treated at the Hospital Departmental Huancavelica were analyzed. Clinical-epidemiological characteristics, nutritional status, and mortality were evaluated using anthropometric and biochemical parameters. A statistical analysis was conducted using the Chi-square test, with a significance level of 5%. The results demonstrated that the mean age of critically ill patients who received artisan formula was 60 ± 22.8 years. Of these patients, 54.9% were women, and 70.6% were admitted to the ICU due to septic shock. Additionally, the mean height, time in the ICU, and days of receipt of artisan formula were 1.54 ± 0.1 m, 13.6 ± 8.0 days, and 11.5 ± 7.9 days, respectively. In contrast, the anthropometric and biochemical parameters exhibited lower averages when the admission data were compared with those obtained seven days later, with the exception of lymphocyte levels, which demonstrated a slight increase. The nutritional variable albumin was found to be related to mortality in patients (p = 0.022). It was observed that 75% of patients who died suffered from moderate malnutrition, compared to 30.8% of survivors. It can be concluded that critically ill patients who received artisan enteral formula after seven days exhibited greater malnutrition associated with mortality. This was evidenced by a decline in the anthropometric parameters (weight and BMI) and biochemical parameters (albumin, hemoglobin, and lymphocytes) as observed in the laboratory analyses. It is noteworthy that albumin demonstrated the strongest correlation with mortality. This study demonstrates that hospital malnutrition is an indicator of quality and has a significant impact on morbidity and mortality in critical patients of the ICU of the Departmental Hospital of Huancavelica, between the years 2015 and 2017.