Nutritional status and prognostic factors for mortality in patients admitted to emergency department observation units: a national multi-center study in China.

BACKGROUND

Nutritional risk is common among patients admitted to the emergency department and is associated with adverse clinical outcomes. Despite its large population, few comprehensive studies have been conducted in China concerning the nutritional status of patients admitted to emergency department observation units (EDOUs).

METHODS

Patients admitted to EDOUs of 90 tertiary hospitals in China between June 2020 and December 2020 were enrolled. Demographic information, laboratory parameters, nutritional support therapies, and 28-day mortality were recorded. Risk factors for mortality were examined using multi-variate-adjusted logistic regression analysis. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves for each predictor of mortality were plotted, and the area under the ROC (AUROC) curves was compared.

RESULTS

A total of 2,005 eligible patients were finally enrolled. At the 28-day follow-up, 1,911 patients survived, and 94 died. The group with a Nutritional Risk Screening 2002 (NRS 2002) score of 3-4 points was the largest (52.01%). The number of patients receiving oral nutritional supplements, enteral nutrition (EN), parenteral nutrition (PN), and the combination of EN and PN was 425, 314, 853, and 413, respectively. Among the total, 77.55% of patients had nutritional risk (NRS 2002 ≥3). The proportion of patients with high nutritional risk (NRS2002≥5) in the age group >80 years was significantly higher than that in the age group 66-80 years (29.00% vs. 23.93%, P=0.032), but not significantly higher than that in the age group 18-65 years (29.00% vs. 26.54%, P=0.449). Logistic regression analysis revealed that heart failure (odds ratio [OR] 1.856, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.087-3.167, P=0.023), consciousness (OR 2.967, 95% CI 1.894-4.648, P<0.001), Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) score (OR 1.037, 95% CI 1.017-1.058, P<0.001), NRS 2002 score (OR 1.286, 95% CI 1.115-1.483, P=0.001), and Mini Nutritional Assessment-Short Form score (OR 0.946, 95% CI 0.898-0.997, P=0.039) were all independent risk factors for 28-day mortality. APACHE II and NRS 2002 scores were superior to other predictors according to the comparison of AUROC.

CONCLUSIONS

Nutritional risk is prevalent among older patients in EDOUs in China. APACHE II and NRS 2002 scores are important risk factors for mortality in patients admitted to the EDOU. Timely and appropriate nutritional screening and support measures are critical to reduce patients' length of hospital stay and mortality.