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Implementation of Non-invasive Point of Care Transient Elastography for Evaluation of Liver Disease in Pediatric Populations with Cystic Fibrosis
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Nutritional risk and anthropometric evaluation in pediatric liver transplantation

Patrícia Zamberlan1, Cláudio Leone, Uenis Tannuri

  • 1Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, Instituto da Criança, São Paulo/SP, Brazil. patrícia.zamberlan@icr.usp.br

Clinics (Sao Paulo, Brazil)
|January 9, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Pediatric liver transplant patients often show undernutrition, particularly in height and arm circumference. Nutritional support is crucial, and upper limb measurements can effectively assess status post-transplant.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Gastroenterology
  • Transplantation Medicine
  • Nutritional Science

Background:

  • Chronic liver disease significantly impacts pediatric nutritional status.
  • Orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) is a critical intervention for end-stage liver disease in children.
  • Assessing nutritional status post-OLT is vital for patient recovery and long-term outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the nutritional status of pediatric patients following OLT.
  • To investigate the correlation between nutritional status and short-term clinical outcomes, including hospitalization length and mortality.
  • To identify reliable anthropometric indicators for nutritional assessment in this population.

Main Methods:

  • Anthropometric evaluations were performed on 60 pediatric OLT recipients within 24 hours of surgery.
  • Nutritional status was assessed using Z-scores for various indices (weight/age, height/age, BMI/age, etc.).
  • Liver disease severity was quantified using the Pediatric End-stage Liver Disease (PELD) or Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) scores.

Main Results:

  • A high prevalence of undernutrition was observed: 50% by height/age, 61.6% by arm circumference/age, and 51% by triceps skinfold/age.
  • No significant correlation was found between nutritional status and PELD/MELD scores or mortality.
  • A negative correlation was identified between arm circumference/age and length of hospitalization.

Conclusions:

  • Children with chronic liver disease exhibit significant undernutrition, underscoring the importance of nutritional support.
  • Anthropometric measurements of the upper limbs, despite assessment challenges, are valuable for evaluating nutritional status in pediatric OLT patients.
  • Early nutritional intervention and monitoring are essential components of post-transplant care.
Abstract

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