Abstract
Malnutrition among critically ill older patients is a frequent problem in intensive care units (ICUs) and is associated with a higher risk of hospital/ICU length of stay (LOS) and mortality. The aim of this study was to evaluate malnutrition in older patients staying in an ICU using the hemoglobin, albumin, lymphocyte, platelet (HALP) score, modified nutrition risk in the critically Ill (mNUTRIC), prognostic nutritional index (PNI), and geriatric nutritional risk index (GNRI) and to determine the consistency between these tools and their association with clinical outcomes. This cross-sectional retrospective, observational, hospital-based study included 153 older patients (≥65 years of age), who were admitted to an internal medicine ICU. Sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) scores and acute physiology and chronic health evaluation (APACHE) II were used to assess disease severity. Nutritional status was evaluated using mNUTRIC, GNRI, PNI, and HALP scores, and their association with ICU LOS and mortality was evaluated using ROC and regression analyses. The mortality rate of the patients was 43.1%. The risk of malnutrition was higher among non-survivors, with mNUTRIC scores showing a significant difference between the groups. The scores for all indices, except HALP, showed significant differences between the groups. APACHE-II, SOFA, and mNUTRIC were the strongest prognostic indices for ICU mortality, with mNUTRIC having the highest sensitivity and negative predictive value. The HALP score was not associated with ICU LOS or a significant prognostic factor for mortality. All indices except HALP were good indicators of clinical outcomes in the study population including older patients. Prospective studies in larger and specific patient populations are needed to draw a strict conclusion in this subject.