Individualized Nutritional Support Improves Cardiac Function and Nutritional Status of Elderly Heart Failure Patients

Background    The quality of life of the patient is diminished by chronic heart failure (CHF), which also costs the healthcare system. This study examined the benefits of individualized nutritional support provided by a specialized nursing team on the nutritional status and cardiac function of elderly patients with CHF.Material and methods    This study included 102 elderly, hospitalized CHF patients. The patients were randomly assigned to two groups of 51 each. During the study protocol, the control group received regular nursing care, while the experimental group received individualized nutritional support by a specialized nursing team. Nutritional-related and cardiac function indicators, inflammatory factors, and life quality scores measured before and after the protocol were compared.Results    There was a significant increase in total albumin, hemoglobin, and protein in both groups during the protocol, but the final concentrations were significantly higher in the experimental group (p<0.05). In both groups, the left ventricular ejection fraction was increased after the protocol, while the left ventricular end-systolic dimension and the left ventricular end-diastolic dimension significantly decreased. The improvements in these variables were greater in the experimental group (p<0.05). The experimental group also exhibited significantly reduced tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-6, and high sensitivity C-reactive protein (p<0.05), and the experimental group reported higher quality of life (p<0.05) and nursing satisfaction (p<0.05).Conclusion    Nutritional support of elderly CHF patients administered by a specialized nursing team improved nutrition, cardiac function, inflammatory status, and quality of life compared to standard nutrition and regular nursing care.