Prognostic nutritional index and mortality in children and adolescents underwent cardiac surgery

Abstract

Objectives: to analyze the prognostic nutritional index and factors associated with mortality in children and adolescents with heart disease who underwent cardiac surgery. Methods: this is a longitudinal, retrospective study that included 98 children and adolescents with heart disease from 0 to 14 years old, and assessed the prognostic nutritional index and nutritional status, through the body mass index for age, weight for height, weight for age and height for age. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed. Results: malnutrition was present in 27 patients, 68 were categorized as having a low prognostic nutritional index and 16 died. In the adjusted analysis, malnutrition (OR=4.11; CI95%=1.26-13.40; p=0.019), the low body mass index for age (OR=4.14; CI95%=1.26-13.61; p=0.019), low weight for height (OR=4.15; CI95%=1.29-13.35; p=0.017) and low weight for age (OR=5.20; CI95%=1.39-19.43; p=0.014) were associated with mortality. Conclusions: malnutrition, low body mass index for age, weight for height and weight for age had shown a significant association with mortality. Despite being an easily applicable indicator of nutritional status, the findings suggest no association between the prognostic nutritional index and mortality in patients with congenital heart disease after cardiac surgery.