High nutritional risk using NUTRIC-Score is associated with worse outcomes in COVID-19 critically ill patients

Background: nutritional risk has been associated with worse outcomes at the critical care unit. The aim of this study was to describe the association between nutritional risk and length of stay, days on mechanical ventilation, and in-hospital mortality in patients infected with SARS-CoV-2. Methods: a retrospective cohort of ventilated, critically ill patients. We assessed nutrition risk at baseline using NUTRIC-score. Logistic and linear regression models were used to analyze the association between NUTRIC-score and clinical outcomes (days on mechanical ventilation, hospital length of stay, and in-hospital mortality). A survival analysis was performed using Kaplan-Meier curves. Results: a total of 112 patients were included, 39.3 % were overweight and 47.3 % were obese. Based on NUTRIC-Score, 66 % and 34 % of patients were at high and low nutritional risk, respectively. High nutritional risk was associated with increased mortality risk (OR: 2.4, 95 % CI, 1.06-5.47, p = 0.036) and higher 28-day mortality (HR: 2.05, 95 % CI, 1.01-4.23, p = 0.04) in comparison with low risk. Conclusion: high nutritional risk is related to mortality in SARS-CoV-2 critically ill patients. Overweight and obesity are common in this sample. More studies are needed to elucidate the impact of nutritional therapy on infection course and outcomes.