| pubmed-article:1742397 | pubmed:abstractText | Forty-two patients (M/F 9/33; age 78 +/- 10 years) were studied during Hospital stay for femoral neck fractures (16 neck, 26 pertrochanteric fractures). All underwent fracture surgery (internal fixation in 30, arthroplasty in 12 patients). Food intake was evaluated daily, supplemented with specific recipes. Biochemical assessment of nutritional status (hemoglobin, hematocrit, total proteins, albumin, prealbumin, Na, K, Ca, Fe, P, Mg) was performed before and after surgery. Nitrogen balance was evaluated in 8 patients in the post-operative period (40 determinations). The study group was compared for post-surgical complications and mortality during Hospital stay with a historical control group without any nutritional survey. Mean daily caloric intake was (M +/- DS) 1014 +/- 360 in the preoperative period, 960 +/- 210 and 1036 +/- 185 postoperatively (5-9 and 10-15 days post-surgery, respectively). Mean nitrogen intake was, respectively, 7.5 +/- 2.6, 7 +/- 2.1, 6.9 +/- 1.6 gN/day. No significant differences were found. In the preoperative period, the following tests were found below the normal range: iron (median 30 micrograms/dL), albumin (median 3.1 g/dL), hemoglobin (median 12 g/dL) hematocrit (median 35%). After surgery, they decreased significantly; also prealbumin, in normal limits before surgery (20 +/- 0.7 mg/dl), decreased significantly 5-9 days after surgery. After 10-15 days from surgery, only prealbumin and iron reached the preoperative level.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS) | lld:pubmed |
