Impact of nutritional state on lung transplant outcomes

Background When high-risk lung transplant candidates are evaluated, nutritional state is often neglected. We evaluated the prevalence of markers reflecting pre-transplant malnutrition and their association with post-operative complications and death. Methods From January 2005 to July 2010, 453 patients underwent primary lung transplantation at our institution. Pre-operative nutrition-related variables, including body mass index and weight/height ratio, reflecting cachexia, and albumin, total protein, immunoglobulins, and absolute lymphocyte count were considered in identifying risk factors for time-related major post-operative complications (renal failure requiring dialysis, respiratory failure requiring tracheostomy), pulmonary or bloodstream infections, and death. Results Forty-eight patients had BMI