Clinical information

Nutritional risk screening (NRS) 200219 scale was used to evaluate the nutritional status of elderly patients with heart failure in our hospital. The selection criterion was that the subjects must be hospitalized heart failure patients aged 65 or above at our hospital. The exclusion criterion included the following: patients that refused to accept nutritional status assessment; patients who were leaving the hospital within 24 hours; patients who would undergo emergency surgery within 24 hours; patients who had infectious diseases or congenital heart disease; and patients who had used enteral nutrition for a long period before they came to our hospital.

If the total score in NRS 2002 scale was higher than 3, it was considered that a malnutrition and nutritional energy metabolism program needed to be carried out. Patients with a score of less than 3 underwent nutritional risk screening again at a certain time. Follow-up examination was performed until patients left the hospital. Patients’ outcome index was recorded with 105 participants, aged 65–82 with an average of 71, included in the malnutrition study. Among them, 63 were male and 42 female, all having met the diagnostic criteria of heart failure and been graded according to the NYHA. Twenty-eight participants were graded as level II, 42 level III, and 35 level IV. Based on the time that participants were hospitalized and their nutritional assessment scores, they were divided into Treatment Group A, Treatment Group B, and the Control Group, each having 35 participants. In terms of the gender, age, disease type, heart function parameter, and nutritional status, the 3 groups did not demonstrate statistically significant difference (P>0.05) and were thus comparable (Table 1).

Clinical information of three groups

Notes: Number of patients in each group =35. Group A: treated with 500 mL·d⁻¹ of enteral nutrition for 1 month; Group B: 500 mL·d⁻¹ of enteral nutrition for 3 months; Group C: given free diet (control group).

Abbreviations: BMI, body mass index; NYHA, New York Heart Association; LVEDV, left ventricular end diastolic volume; LVESV, left ventricular end-systolic volume; LVEF, Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction; FS, fractional shortening; CO, cardiac output.