Associations of Preoperative Nutritional Status and Sarcopenia With Mortality in Patients With Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm After Open and Endovascular Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Repair: A Retrospective Study.

OBJECTIVE: The effect of preoperative malnutrition and sarcopenia on outcomes in patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) after open surgical repair (OSR) and endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair is undefined. The authors conducted the study to address this issue in this population.

DESIGN: A retrospective observational study.

SETTING: A large tertiary hospital.

PARTICIPANTS: Patients with AAA who underwent OSR and endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR).

INTERVENTIONS: Evaluation of nutritional status (Nutritional Risk Screening 2002 [NRS 2002] and the Controlling Nutritional Status [CONUT] scores), muscle size (skeletal muscle index), and postoperative parameters.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: A total of 199 patients were reviewed from January 2020 to December 2022. Patients weew categorized into group A (CONUT <4) and group B (CONUT ≥4) based on whether their CONUT scores were less than 4. The mortality (p = 0.004) and the incidence of Clavien-Dindo class III complications (p = 0.007) in group B were higher than those in group A. CONUT score was an independent risk factor for midterm mortality (hazard ratio 1.329; 95% CI, 1.104-1.697; p = 0.002) and Clavien-Dindo class III complications (odds ratio 1.225; 95% CI, 1.012-1.482; p = 0.037) according to univariate and multivariate analyses, whereas NRS 2002 score and sarcopenia were not. Kaplan-Meier curves showed a lower midterm survival rate in group B (log-rank p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION: In patients with AAA undergoing OSR or EVAR, a CONUT score ≥4 was associated with increased Clavien-Dindo class III complications and mortality. Preoperative nutritional status should be evaluated and optimized in this high-risk population.