malnutrition in joint arthroplasty: prospective study indicates risk of unplanned icu admission

Background: malnutrition has been linked to poor outcomes after elective joint arthroplasty, but the risk of unplanned postoperative intensive care unit (icu) admission in malnourished arthroplasty patients is unknown. methods: 1098 patients were followed as part of a prospective risk stratification program at a tertiary, high-volume arthroplasty center. chronic malnutrition was defined as preoperative albumin <3.5 g/dl. results: the overall incidence of malnutrition was 16.9% (primary and revision arthroplasty patients). average bmi was highest for patients in albumin category 3.0-3.5 (bmi 35.7). preoperative albumin <3.0 and <3.5 g/dl translated to 15.4% and 3.8% rates of unplanned icu admission, respectively, indicating nutritional status to be a factor in postoperative icu admission. conclusion: patients with poor nutritional status must be counseled on the risks of adverse medical complications.