Prevalence of Malnutrition and Its Association with Clinical Complications in Hospitalized Cardiac Patients: Retrospective Cohort Study

Abstract Background Malnutrition can affect the clinical course of hospitalized patients, increasing hospital stay, infections, mortality, and hospital costs. Among heart disease patients, the malnutrition prevalence ranges from 25 to 51.9%. Objective To assess the prevalence of malnutrition and its association with clinical complications in cardiac patients admitted to a cardiology hospital. Method Retrospective cohort study with patients evaluated within 48 hours of admission to the ward of a referral center for cardiology in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Patients were aged 18 years or older. ...