Predicting prognosis of heart failure using common malnutrition assessment tools: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: COUNT score, PNI score, and GNRI scores are associated with cardiovascular events. This review identifies the most accurate malnutrition assessment tools based on these scores in predicting mortality and readmission outcomes in HF patients.

Methods: PubMed via MEDLINE, EMBASE were searched to identify studies assessing malnutrition using CONUT, PNI and GNRI. A meta-analysis was carried out to pool the hazard ratios on mortality and readmission rates. The methodological quality was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale.

Results: The mortality in HF patients with malnutrition assessed by CONUT showed pooled HR of 1.23. HF patients with all severe, moderate, and mild risk of malnutrition showed mortality with HR 3.56, 2.71 and 1.57 respectively. For malnutrition assessed with GNRI, HF patients with all severe, moderate, and mild risk of malnutrition showed mortality with HR 4.17, 2.73 and 1.73 respectively. No significance difference in association of CONUT score with pooled HR of readmission rate was observed HR 0.99. With PNI, HF patients with all severe and moderate risk of malnutrition showed mortality with HR 2.14 and HR 1.68 respectively, although they failed to achieve significance.

Conclusions: CONUT and GNRI are the superior prognostic indicator than PNI in prediction of mortality associated with risk of malnutrition.