Use of the Modified Nutrition Risk in Critically Ill (mNUTRIC) Score to Assess Nutritional Risk in Mechanically Ventilated Patients: a Retrospective Study

OpenAlex · İngilizce

Introduction. Malnutrition is common among intensive care unit (ICU) patients and is associated with adverse clinical outcomes. Nutritional risk is particularly high in mechanically ventilated patients. This study aimed to evaluate nutritional risk using the modified Nutrition Risk in Critically Ill (mNUTRIC) score and to examine its associations with clinical, demographic, and biochemical parameters in mechanically ventilated adult ICU patients. Methods. This retrospective, observational pilot study was conducted in a tertiary ICU from January to December 2024. Adult patients receiving mechanical ventilation and enteral nutrition via a nasogastric tube for at least 7 days were included. Nutritional risk was assessed using the mNUTRIC score. Clinical severity scores, biochemical parameters, and patient outcomes were recorded. Results. A total of 58 patients were included. The mNUTRIC score of ICU patients (n=58) was 3.00 [2.00-5.00], and 25.86% were classified as having high nutritional risk. High nutritional risk was significantly associated with impaired consciousness and cardiovascular disease (p = 0.013 and p = 0.033, respectively). No significant differences were observed in most biochemical parameters; however, bilirubin levels were significantly higher in the high-risk group (p = 0.006). Mortality rates were comparable between nutritional risk groups (p = 0.533). Conclusions. The mNUTRIC score identified differences in nutritional risk among mechanically ventilated ICU patients and was significantly associated with impaired consciousness, cardiovascular disease, and higher bilirubin levels. No significant difference in mortality was observed between the nutritional risk groups in this pilot study. Further large-scale, multicenter prospective studies are needed to clarify its clinical and prognostic relevance.