[Nutritional status and dietary assessment of patients with gastrectomy]

Nutrition is a crucial factor in gastric resection surgery and the most suitable alimentary canal reconstruction method must be considered in order to reduce the risk of malnutrition. The cause of postgastrectomy malnutrition has not been clearly determined, but the mechanisms behind malnutrition are evidently multifactorial.

To evaluate the nutritional status of patients who underwent different reconstructive procedures after total or subtotal gastrectomy.

Fifty patients who have undergone gastrectomy for 0.5-39 years were assessed. The surgical procedures used were Billroth I in 7, Billroth II in 26, Henley in 3 and Roux-en-Y in 14 of the patients. Twenty one of them have followed gastrectomy for cancer. The nutritional status was evaluated by subjective global assessment, dietary recall and anthropometry.

According to subjective global assessment, 6 of 50 patients were mild malnourished. The mean body mass index was 22 4.75 kg/m2, the average daily calorie intake was 1624 477 Kcal. Of the patients operated for cancer, those who underwent subtotal gastrectomy followed by Roux-en-Y presented higher body mass index. No relationship between the period of time since surgery with body mass index or with calorie intake was found.

Among patients operated for cancer, subtotal gastrectomy with Roux-en-Y reconstruction is associated with better nutritional status. Factors other than low calorie intake are the cause of weight loss in patients with gastrectomy.