Impact of malnutrition on the outcome and length of hospital stay in elective pediatric surgical patients: prospective cohort study at tertiary hospitals in Ethiopia.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Pediatric surgical patients in low and middle-income countries suffer from malnutrition on top of the surgical pathology and post-operative stress which increases post-operative morbidity and mortality. Malnutrition is highly prevalent in Africa and is expected to impact the outcome of surgical patients. The study was aimed at determining the impact of malnutrition on the outcome and length of hospital stay in elective pediatric surgical patients.

Methods

A prospective study was done on children, aged one month to fourteen years, who had undergone elective general surgery. Upon admission, nutritional assessment using an anthropometric indicator was undertaken and used to derive the WHO Anthro Z scores. Malnutrition was defined as a binary outcome: severely/moderat

SUBMITTER: Wondemagegnehu BD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10634113 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature