Relationship between the perioperative prognostic nutritional index and postoperative gait function in elderly hip fractures

Objectives: We investigated the relationship between the perioperative nutritional status and postoperative walking ability in patients with hip fractures. Methods: We included 246 surgically treated elderly patients with hip fractures who were ambulatory before the injury. Patients were divided into two groups: group A, who were able to walk at discharge, and group B, who were unable to walk at discharge. We pair -matched these two groups according to age, preoperative subdivided walking ability, and fracture site to form groups A ' and B '. The prognostic nutritional index (PNI; PNI = 10 x serum albumin (g/dL) + 0.005 x blood total lymphocyte count (/mm 3 )) before surgery and 1 day, 1 week, and 2 weeks after surgery and energy intake 1 and 2 weeks after surgery were compared. Results: After adjustments for age, preoperative subdivided walking ability, and fracture site, there were 51 patients in group A ' (mean age 84.6 years) and 51 patients in group B ' (mean age 84.7 years). In group A '/group B ' , PNI was 43.38/42.60 (P = 0.19) before surgery, 33.87/33.31 (P = 0.44) 1 day after surgery, 34.99/32.35 (P = 0.01) 1 week after surgery, and 37.33/35.69 (P = 0.15) 2 weeks after surgery. Energy intake was 1380.8/ 1203.1 kcal (P = 0.01) 1 week after surgery and 1382.0/1335.6 kcal (P = 0.60) 2 weeks after surgery. Conclusions: PNI and energy intake at 1 week postoperatively were associated with early postoperative nutrition and the recovery of walking ability.