Recommendations for the nutritional assessment of critically ill patients

Undernutrition affects 30 to 50% of hospitalized patients. The identification of patients with undernutrition or in risk to become undernourished is of utmost importance to prescribe a timely nutritional support. This article performs a critical review of anthropometrical, biochemical and functional parameters used for nutritional assessment. Prognostic indexes and other parameters used for the assessment of nutritional risk are also discussed. Some tools are proposed for the diagnosis of hospital malnutrition.