NUTRIC score use around the world: a systematic review

Area of Science:

• Critical Care Medicine
• Nutritional Science
• Clinical Outcomes Research

Background:

• Assessing nutritional risk in critically ill patients is crucial for improving outcomes.
• The Nutrition Risk in Critically Ill (NUTRIC) score is a tool developed for this purpose.
• Understanding the current application and validation of the NUTRIC score is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and collect data on the utilization and validation of the NUTRIC score.
• To evaluate the association between the NUTRIC score and clinical outcomes in critically ill populations.

Main Methods:

• A systematic literature search was performed following PRISMA guidelines.
• Included studies specifically evaluated the NUTRIC score and were published in English, Spanish, or Portuguese.
• Excluded were reviews, abstracts, dissertations, protocols, and case reports.

Main Results:

• Twelve studies met the inclusion criteria, predominantly observational (83.3%).
• A high NUTRIC score (≥ 5) was significantly associated with mechanical ventilation, increased ICU/hospital length of stay, and mortality in several studies.
• Interleukin-6 (IL-6) was not utilized in any of the included studies for scoring.

Conclusions:

• The NUTRIC score demonstrates a significant relationship with key clinical outcomes in critically ill patients.
• The findings support the appropriateness and utility of the NUTRIC score in intensive care unit settings.
• Further research may explore the integration of IL-6 or refine cutoff points for enhanced predictive accuracy.