Short-form nutrition assessment in patients with advanced heart failure evaluated for ventricular assist device placement or cardiac transplantation

Background: It has been shown that malnutrition affects clinical outcomes in patients with advanced heart failure and that nutrition status, as determined by the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA), can be used as an independent predictor of mortality. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic utility of the short-form MNA (MNA-SF) as a surrogate to the MNA in patients with advanced heart failure. Methods: Data retrospectively gathered from nutrition assessments of 162 patients were analyzed. Results: As defined by the MNA, the cohort included 40 (24.7%) patients classified as malnourished, 106 (65.4%) classified as at risk, and 16 (9.9%) classified as well nourished. The mortality for the groups was 37.3%, 47.4%, and 40.5%, respectively. A linear regression showed strong correlation between the MNA and MNA-SF (r = 0.778, P <.0001). A significant difference was observed in survival between the undernourished state (at risk + malnourished) and the well-nourished state, as determined by the MNA-SF (P <.001). Conclusions: The MNA-SF is a rapid nutrition assessment that correlates strongly with the full-form MNA and is an independent predictor of mortality.