Evaluation of Pre- and Post-operative Nutritional Status of Gastrointestinal Surgery Patients
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32350/ihr.61.02Keywords:
anthropometric and biochemical indicators, gastrointestinal surgery, malnutrition, nutritional assessment, postoperative outcomesAbstract
Malnutrition is highly prevalent in patients undergoing gastrointestinal (GI) surgeries, and is associated with adverse health outcomes. Both pre- and post-operative nutritional status assessment of these patients may help timely diagnose and manage health complications. The current study aimed to assess the nutritional status of GI surgery patients both before and after surgery and then determined associations between both values. The study was a prospective observational cohort one that utilized convenience sampling to collect data from 75 GI surgery patients admitted in a local tertiary care settings. Data was collected on socio-demographics, anthropometric and biochemical parameters, as well as clinical signs and symptoms. Paired t-test was used to assess associations after data was analyzed on SPSS version 23. Approximately, 52% of the study sample comprised males and 32.2% patients had undergone cholelithiasis surgery. White blood cells (WBCs) (p = 0.000) and lymphocyte count (p = 0.015) were both statistically significant for pre- and post-operative associations. However, Body Mass Index (BMI), hemoglobin, hematocrit, and creatinine levels were not found to be statistically significant. Malnutrition is common among those with GI issues and surgeries. Nutrition assessment prior to surgery and timely nutrition interventions can help prevent and manage complications arising from poor nutritional status in these patients.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Zoha Imtiaz Malik, Syed Hassan Bin Usman Shah, Aisha Ijaz Ul Haq, Abdul Momin Rizwan Ahmad
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