Nutritional Indicators for Postoperative Morbidity in Elective Oncological Surgery

Abstract

Objective: This study was to establish the nutritional risk factors for morbidity following cancer surgery to reduce the incidence of related postoperative complications. Therefore this study was undertaken to assess the morbidity and to identify nutritional risk factors following cancer surgery in Bangladeshi population.

Method: This cross-sectional observational study included 312 patients with malignancy who were waiting for surgery or within 60 days of postoperative period were enrolled for the study from indoor of surgical oncology department, NICR&H. Then the patients were submitted for further study to evaluate the preoperative fitness in terms of nutrition assessment both clinical and biological. All the clinical (pre & post-operative including complication, if any), investigation findings were recorded accordingly.

Results: Statistical correlation was discovered between BMI and morbidity but no statistical correlation was found between WL >10% and major surgical complications of either infectious or noninfectious origin (p = NS). No statistically significant correlation was found between nutritional condition or oedema and surgical morbidity. Conversely, a substantial statistical correlation was found between skin thickness or Hb% or albumin <30 g/l and major surgical complications (either infectious or noninfectious) (p= S).

Conclusion: The best nutritional factor for detecting the risk of MC is albumin levels below 30 g/l.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jss.v16i1.14441

Journal of Surgical Sciences (2012) Vol. 16 (1) : 3-10