The following is a summary of “Nutrition-associated markers and outcomes among patients receiving enteral nutrition after ischemic stroke: a retrospective cohort study,” published in the August 2024 issue of Neurology by Wang et al.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study to examine the impact of early enteral nutrition on patients with stroke and assess changes in blood indicators as potential predictors of stroke prognosis.
They included all hospitalized patients with stroke who received enteral nutrition. Protein, energy, fat, and carbohydrate values were collected for 7 days post-admission. Serum albumin, total protein, and hemoglobin values were reviewed at admission and 1 week. The primary outcome indicators were the Modified Rankin Score, Barthel Index, and QoL at 3 months.
The results showed 354 patients with an average age of 70.7 years, 59.0% male. Serum albumin change at day 7 compared to admission correlated positively with the QoL score (P=0.001), Barthel Index (P=0.004), and Modified Rankin Score (P=0.029). The change in total protein at day 7 relative to admission was positively associated with the QoL score (P=0.002), Barthel Index (P=0.001), and Modified Rankin Score (P=0.011). Hemoglobin change at day 7 compared to admission showed a positive correlation with the Barthel Index (P=0.037) but not with the QoL score (P=0.237) or Modified Rankin Score (P=0.730).
Investigators concluded that improved nutrition-related blood indicators within a week of admission were independently linked to favorable stroke outcomes, suggesting the benefits of nutritional support for patients with acute ischemic stroke during early hospitalization.
Source: bmcneurol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12883-024-03812-y
