[The survival prognosis of elderly undernourished inpatients admitted to the internal medical department of an emergency hospital as assessed using the nutritional screening, tool CONUT (for CONtrolling NUTritional status)].

AIM

CONUT, a tool for "CONtrolling NUTritional status" assesses the nutritional status of a subject by taking into account their serum albumin level, total cholesterol level and total lymphocyte count. Elderly undernourished inpatients admitted to the internal medical department were divided into two groups, those who left the hospital and those who died in the hospital. The goal of this study was to analyze whether or not the CONUT score, serum albumin level, total cholesterol level and total lymphocyte count could predict the survival prognosis of elderly undernourished inpatients and to show the ratio of patients discharged with artificial hydration and nutrition (AHN).

METHODS

We divided elderly undernourished inpatients into two groups, those who left the hospital (229 patients) and those who died in the hospital (363 patients), and examined the serum albumin level, total cholesterol level and total lymphocyte count within 10 days before discharge or death. Based on the degree of undernutrition as determined by CONUT, we further classified the patients 4-into four levels of nutrition status, normal, light undernutrition, moderate undernutrition and severe undernutrition. In addition, based on the serum albumin level, total cholesterol level and total lymphocyte count, the patients were also classified 4-into four levels of nutrition status, and we calculated the ratio of AHN patients in the discharged group.

RESULTS

On comparing the discharge and death groups according to the degree of undernutrition, serum albumin level, total cholesterol level and total lymphocyte count, significant differences were found between the groups of all nutrition statuses except moderate undernutrition. Furthermore, the patients with moderate undernutrition status demonstrated no statistically significant difference in both groups, except the serum albumin level. Among the discharged patients, the ratio of AHN was 37.0% in those with a normal nutrition status and more than 50% in the patients with light to severe undernutrition.

CONCLUSION

We calculated and scored the serum albumin level, total cholesterol level, total lymphocyte count and the degree of undernutrition according to CONUT in elderly undernourished inpatients admitted to the internal medical department of an emergency hospital.We then divided the patients into groups, based on death or discharge from the hospital as well as nutrition status, normal, light undernutrition, moderate undernutrition and severe undernutrition. Therefore, comparing the groups based on their death or discharge, their nutrition status was found to be helpful for predicting the prognosis.