PREOPERATIVE NUTRITIONAL-STATUS AND PROGNOSTIC NUTRITIONAL INDEX IN PATIENTS WITH BENIGN DISEASE UNDERGOING ABDOMINAL OPERATIONS .2.

Objectives: Part II of this study was undertaken to develop a prognost ic nutritional index for the identification of high risk patients with benign disease undergoing abdominal operations at the Universitas Hos pital in Bloemfontein. Methods: To accomplish this goal, 52 consecutiv e adult non-cancer surgical patients, admitted to the Universitas Hosp ital for a period of one year, were studied prospectively. The postope rative outcome was monitored until discharge or death. Various discrim inant analyses were performed on the obtained data. Four prognostic in dexes were compiled, including two nutritional and two mixed models. A short and medium length index were derived for both the nutritional a nd the mixed models. Results/Discussion: The results suggest that the short nutritional index may be the most practical for the prediction o f surgical outcome in this specific set of patients. The short nutriti onal index included diet risk, serum albumin, body mass index, % ideal body weight, triceps skinfold and grip strength. It is further sugges ted that these indices be tested in another set of patients and be com pared with other available prognostic models.