Assessment and correction of nutritional status in adult patients with acute stroke

Rationale: Occlusive and hemorrhagic acute stroke, accompanied with long-term oppression of consciousness and dysphagia, results in nutrient losses and protein-energy malnutrition. This occurs, as from second week of disease, distinct hypoproteinemia in descent of total protein and albumin. Henceforth and other changes of nutritional status – the reducing the height of muscle mass of the body, fat content in the organism, the circumference decrease of shoulder muscles are noted.

Methods: 67 patients with acute stroke (28 men and 39 women, aged from 34 up to 92 years old). Were performed research of daily nitrogen of urinary, albumin and total protein, transferrin, prealbumin in blood, body composition (measurements of triceps skin fold thickness and other skin folds with a caliper, the midarm circumferences, the midarm muscle circumferences, bioelectrical impedance analysis).

Results: Despite performed the enteral feeding, at a patients most on 10–14 disease days the hypoproteinemia in descent of total protein up to 40–60g/L, and blood albumin – up to 17–28g/L. At the majority of patients on 10–14 days, claiming the purposes of additional parenteral nutrition was prescribed.

Conclusions: Adult patients with acute stroke for the most part are to get mixed parenteral-enteral feeding in order to avoid of hypoproteinemia, malnutrition, cachexia and sepsis.