Nutritional assessment in the cat: Practical recommendations for better medical care

2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (5) ◽  
pp. 442-448 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela Witzel Rollins ◽  
Maryanne Murphy

Practical relevance: Pet owners want dietary recommendations from their veterinarian. Providing a brief nutritional assessment for every cat at every visit will result in better medical care and build trust with clients. Clinical challenges: Examination time is limited, and it can be challenging to ensure appointments are efficient, yet thorough. A range of practical assessment tools is available that can assist with this process. Patient group: Every cat can benefit from a screening nutritional evaluation as the fifth vital assessment (after temperature, pulse, respiration and pain assessment). Identifying patients with nutritional risk factors or nutrition-responsive diseases should prompt a more in-depth review of dietary needs. Audience: This article is aimed at all veterinary health professionals and is accompanied by videos demonstrating the body condition scoring process for a series of cats ranging from ideal body weight through to obese. Evidence base: Information in the review is drawn from the current scientific literature, as well as the clinical experience of the authors.

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (35) ◽  
pp. 144-148
Author(s):  
Camila Weschenfelder ◽  
Luciane Vieira Figueira ◽  
Talita Sthephanie Scotta Cabral ◽  
Jacqueline Schaurich dos Santos

Introduction: Hospital malnutrition is associated with the worsening of the patient’s general condition and its early diagnosis allows the reduction of related complications. The aim of this study was to verify the agreement of the Short Nutritional Assessment Questionnaire (SNAQ) screening tool and the Subjective Global Assessment (SGA). Methods: Cross-sectional study, carried out in a general hospital in the city of Porto Alegre (RS). The SNAQ was applied by previously trained nutritionists and nurses, and the patient was considered at nutritional risk when the score was ≥2. SGA was applied by nutritionists in all patients and considered the gold standard for comparison. The Kappa coefficient was used to assess the degree of agreement between the screening and nutritional assessment tools. Kappa values between 0.21-0.60 were considered as low agreement, 0.61-0.8 as moderate agreement and greater than 0.81, as strong agreement. Results: Between January and March 2017, 186 patients were evaluated, of them 115 (62%) were women. The mean age was 65.7 ± 16.6 years and the body mass index (BMI) mean was 26.5 ± 5.5 kg/ m². According to SGA classification, 73.7% of the sample was considered to be well nourished, 14% moderately malnourished and 12.4% severely malnourished. Low agreement was observed between the nutritional risk diagnosed by nursing vs. nutrition through SNAQ (Kappa=0.58) and good agreement of SNAQ applied by the nutrition team with the nutritional diagnosis of SGA (Kappa=0.73). The SNAQ presented sensitivity of 85.7% (95% CI 73.3 - 92.9) and specificity of 90.5% (95% CI 84.4 - 94.4); positive predictive value of 76.4% (95% CI 65.7 - 84.5) and negative predictive value of 94.7% (95% CI 90 - 97.2). Conclusion: We conclude that the screening tool SNAQ when conducted by nutritionists can be used for early detection of hospital malnutrition.


Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 304 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather A. Eicher-Miller ◽  
Carol J. Boushey ◽  
Regan L. Bailey ◽  
Yoon Jung Yang

Food insecurity is associated with nutritional risk in children. This study identified and compared the most frequently consumed foods, beverages, and food groups and their contributions to energy intake among U.S. children and adolescents (6–11, 12–17 years) by food security status. Dietary intake from the day-1, 24-h dietary recall, and household child food security status were analyzed in the 2007–2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (n = 8123). Foods and beverages were classified into food categories, ranked, and compared by weighted proportional frequency and energy contribution for food security groups by age. Significant differences between household child food security groups were determined using the Rao-Scott modified chi-square statistic. The weighted proportional frequency of beverages (including diet, sweetened, juice, coffee, and tea) and their energy was significantly higher among food insecure compared with food secure while the reverse was true for water frequency among 12–17 years. Beverage and mixed dish frequency were higher among food insecure compared with food secure 6–11 years while the reverse was true for frequency and energy from snacks. Frequency-differentiated intake patterns for beverages and snacks by food security across age groups may inform dietary recommendations, population-specific dietary assessment tools, interventions, and policy for food insecure children.


Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 4160
Author(s):  
Diogo Sousa-Catita ◽  
Maria Alexandra Bernardo ◽  
Carla Adriana Santos ◽  
Maria Leonor Silva ◽  
Paulo Mascarenhas ◽  
...  

Nutrition is an important health issue for seniors. In nursing homes, simple, inexpensive, fast, and validated tools to assess nutritional risk/status are indispensable. A multisurvey cross-sectional study with a convenient sample was created, comparing five nutritional screening/assessment tools and the time required for each, in order to identify the most useful instrument for a nursing home setting. Nutrition risk/status was evaluated using the following tools: Subjective Global Assessment (SGA), Mini Nutritional Assessment Short Form (MNA-SF), Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST), Nutritional Risk Screening 2002 (NRS 2002), and calf girth (CG). The time spent completing each tool was recorded. Eighty-three subjects were included. MNA-SF and CG were the screening tools that ranked highest with regards to malnutrition identification. CG failed to identify nutritional risk/malnutrition in seniors with lower limb edema. CG was the fastest tool while SGA was the slowest. This was the first study comparing non-invasive nutritional tools with time expended as a consideration in the implementation. CG is responsive, fast, and reliable in elders without edema. MNA-SF was more efficient at detecting malnutrition cases in the elderly population. Both MNA-SF and CG are considered the most suitable for the nursing home setting.


Author(s):  
G. Marques Rodrigues ◽  
J.F. Santos da Silva ◽  
D. Bittencourt Ferreira ◽  
L.M. Santiago ◽  
L. Lima Luz ◽  
...  

Objective: To analyze to role of the Short-Form Mini Nutritional Assessment in the nutritional assessment of elderly individuals with cancer. Study Design: Cross-sectional epidemiological study. Location: Outpatient services at eight cancer hospitals in the cities of Campo Grande and Rio de Janeiro, in Brazil. Participants: 333 individuals, aged 60 or older, with prostate cancer, interviewed in the period before the definition of cancer treatment. Methods: The nutritional profile was assessed with the Short Form Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA-SF) and with the Body Mass Index (BMI), according to Lipschitz’s classification. Socio-demographic and clinical variables were also considered. We analyzed the distribution of elderly individuals by MNA-SF items according to MNA-SF and BMI categories and the Fisher’s exact test was applied for testing the statistical significance of the observed differences (p≤0.05). Results: Based on the MNA-SF, 235 (73.0%) individuals had an adequate nutritional status; 74 (23.0%) were at risk for malnutrition and 13 (4.0%) were considered malnourished. Based on the BMI, 49 elders (15.2%) were classified as low weight; 150 (46.4%) as normal weight and 124 (38.4%) as overweight. For each item in the MNS-SF, the frequency of answers corresponding to deficiencies was high among elderly individuals at risk for malnutrition, with statistical significance. With respect to the BMI, only “Food intake declined over the past 3 months” and “BMI” had statistically significant differences. Conclusion: MNA-SF showed a good relationship between its component items and proved to be an adequate tool to describe nutritional risk in elderly cancer patients. Early detection of this risk paves the way for an early nutritional approach and for preventing undesirable outcomes with respect to the health of those individuals. As other advantages, MNA-SF is easy to interpret, demands a short time for application and is well accepted by the elders.


2018 ◽  
Vol 70 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lilia Castillo-Martínez ◽  
Denisse Castro-Eguiluz ◽  
Erika Thalia Copca-Mendoza ◽  
Dana Aline Pérez-Camargo ◽  
Carlos Alberto Reyes-Torres ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 310-317
Author(s):  
Federica Mascaretti ◽  
Jessica Evangelista

Nutritional risk screening and assessment of general nutritional status are of primary importance in the management of gastrointestinal cancers (GIC). Indeed, a major problem in these patients is the involuntary weight loss leading eventually to cachexia. With our review, we aimed at collecting the most recent advances in nutritional assessment of patients with GIC. All the abstracts presented both at the 2020 ASCO and ESMO World GI meetings were considered and a total number of 12 abstracts were selected, reporting colorectal, gastric, esophageal, and pancreatic cancer (PC) series. In some of the analyzed series, pathological conditions such as cachexia and sarcopenia had prognostic significance on clinical outcomes. One abstract reported the results of a phase I trial with the use of a novel interleukin-1-alpha antagonist, bermekimab. Its association with standard chemotherapy in advanced PC brought an improved patients’ performance during treatment. Insufficient attention is paid to the nutritional status of patients with GIC both at screening and during specific cancer treatment. The use of antropometric measurements, together with nutritional assessment tools, may facilitate the clinical evaluation of these patients. Large randomized trials are warranted in order to clarify the real impact of nutritional interventions on clinical outcomes.


2014 ◽  
Vol 23 (01) ◽  
pp. 5-10
Author(s):  
E.C. Bliemel ◽  
R. Aigner ◽  
C. Rolfes ◽  
S. Ruchholtz ◽  
B. Buecking ◽  
...  

ZusammenfassungDie Inzidenz von Mangelernährung geriatrischer Patienten wird im Allgemeinen mit über 50 % angegeben. Mangelernährung bei geriatrischen Traumapatienten rangiert im Kollektiv der proximalen Femurfrakturen zwischen 30 und 50 %. Insgesamt erscheinen sowohl die angegebenen Häufigkeiten als auch die angewandten Messinstrumente inhomogen. Malnutrition führt zu einer Verschlechterung der Wundheilung, einer längeren postoperativen Immobilität, einem verlängerten Krankenhausaufenthalt sowie zu einer Steigerung der Mortalität. Unter Hinzuziehung bestehender Leitlinien erreichen das Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) sowie das Nutritional Risk Screening (NRS) eine ausreichende prädiktive Validität in diesem geriatrischen Patientengut, um ein Screening auf Mangelernährung durchzuführen. Bezüglich möglicher therapeutischer Interventionen ist die Studienlage limitiert: Vorhandene Studien zeigen oft eine geringe Patientenzahl und demente Patienten, die besonders häufig mangelernährt sind, wurden häufig ausgeschlossen. Eine Leitlinie explizit für dieses spezielle Patientengut existiert aktuell nicht. Ein suffizientes Screening des Ernährungszustandes sowie Daten zur Durchführbarkeit und Effizienz einer kurzfristigen perioperativen Nahrungsergänzung könnten einen wichtigen Beitrag zur Stabilisierung dieser oft multimorbiden und fragilen Patienten leisten.


Micromachines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 352
Author(s):  
Ruonan Li ◽  
Xuelian Wei ◽  
Jiahui Xu ◽  
Junhuan Chen ◽  
Bin Li ◽  
...  

Accurate monitoring of motion and sleep states is critical for human health assessment, especially for a healthy life, early diagnosis of diseases, and medical care. In this work, a smart wearable sensor (SWS) based on a dual-channel triboelectric nanogenerator was presented for a real-time health monitoring system. The SWS can be worn on wrists, ankles, shoes, or other parts of the body and cloth, converting mechanical triggers into electrical output. By analyzing these signals, the SWS can precisely and constantly monitor and distinguish various motion states, including stepping, walking, running, and jumping. Based on the SWS, a fall-down alarm system and a sleep quality assessment system were constructed to provide personal healthcare monitoring and alert family members or doctors via communication devices. It is important for the healthy growth of the young and special patient groups, as well as for the health monitoring and medical care of the elderly and recovered patients. This work aimed to broaden the paths for remote biological movement status analysis and provide diversified perspectives for true-time and long-term health monitoring, simultaneously.


Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 1414
Author(s):  
Ramūnas Antanaitis ◽  
Vida Juozaitienė ◽  
Dovilė Malašauskienė ◽  
Mindaugas Televičius ◽  
Mingaudas Urbutis ◽  
...  

The aim of the current study was to evaluate the relation of automatically determined body condition score (BCS) and inline biomarkers such as β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), milk yield (MY), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and progesterone (mP4) with the pregnancy success of cows. The cows (n = 281) had 2.1 ± 0.1. lactations on average, were 151.6 ± 0.06 days postpartum, and were once tested with “Easy scan” ultrasound (IMV imaging, Scotland) at 30–35 d post-insemination. According to their reproductive status, cows were grouped into two groups: non-pregnant (n = 194 or 69.0% of cows) and pregnant (n = 87 or 31.0% of cows). Data concerning their BCS, mP4, MY, BHB, and LDH were collected each day from the day of insemination for 7 days. The BCS was collected with body condition score camera (DeLaval Inc., Tumba, Sweden); mP4, MY, BHB, and LDH were collected with the fully automated real-time analyzer Herd Navigator™ (Lattec I/S, Hillerød, Denmark) in combination with a DeLaval milking robot (DeLaval Inc., Tumba, Sweden). Of all the biomarkers, three differences between groups were significant. The body condition score (BCS) of the pregnant cows was higher (+0.49 score), the milk yield (MY) was lower (−4.36 kg), and milk progesterone in pregnant cows was (+6.11 ng/mL) higher compared to the group of non-pregnant cows (p < 0.001). The pregnancy status of the cows was associated with their BCS assessment (p < 0.001). We estimated that cows with BCS > 3.2 were 22 times more likely to have reproductive success than cows with BCS ≤ 3.2.


2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. e100187
Author(s):  
Fatma Mansab ◽  
Sohail Bhatti ◽  
Daniel Goyal

ObjectivesIdentifying those individuals requiring medical care is a basic tenet of the pandemic response. Here, we examine the COVID-19 community triage pathways employed by four nations, specifically comparing the safety and efficacy of national online ‘symptom checkers’ used within the triage pathway.MethodsA simulation study was conducted on current, nationwide, patient-led symptom checkers from four countries (Singapore, Japan, USA and UK). 52 cases were simulated to approximate typical COVID-19 presentations (mild, moderate, severe and critical) and COVID-19 mimickers (eg, sepsis and bacterial pneumonia). The same simulations were applied to each of the four country’s symptom checkers, and the recommendations to refer on for medical care or to stay home were recorded and compared.ResultsThe symptom checkers from Singapore and Japan advised onward healthcare contact for the majority of simulations (88% and 77%, respectively). The USA and UK symptom checkers triaged 38% and 44% of cases to healthcare contact, respectively. Both the US and UK symptom checkers consistently failed to identify severe COVID-19, bacterial pneumonia and sepsis, triaging such cases to stay home.ConclusionOur results suggest that whilst ‘symptom checkers’ may be of use to the healthcare COVID-19 response, there is the potential for such patient-led assessment tools to worsen outcomes by delaying appropriate clinical assessment. The key features of the well-performing symptom checkers are discussed.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document