Predicting Postoperative Head and Neck Complications Using Nutritional Assessment: The Prognostic Nutritional Index

Abstract
• Nutritional assessment evaluates patient nutritional status through various anthropometric measurements, laboratory data, physical findings, and clinical history. A predictive nutritional assessment model called the prognostic nutritional index (PNI) has been developed and validated in a group of heterogeneous surgical patients. This PNI was used in a prospective study to evaluate its predictive validity for patients with head and neck cancer undergoing surgery following high-dose (5,000 to 5,500 rad) preoperative radiation therapy. The PNI appears to be a prognostic indicator of major postoperative complications for patients undergoing head and neck surgery. This report includes the derivation of the PNI and the general clinical features used for nutritional assessment of protein-calorie status in patients with head and neck cancer. (Arch Otolaryngol 1983;109:83-85)

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