Adductor Pollicis Muscle Thickness Mesurement – A New Reliable Method for Nutritional Status Assessment

Malnutrition in hospital patients is a worldwide problem. The incidence of malnutrition in critically ill patients varies from 40 to 100%, and leads to increased morbidity and mortality rate. [1]
It is very important to assess the nutritional status of the patient at hospital admission in order to determine the presence or absence of malnutrition and provide an early and individualized diet plan, minimizing the risk of complications.[2]
Subjective global assessment (SGA) is a useful tool for malnutrition screening. According to SGA patients could be classified into three categories: well nourished (SGA “A”) patients, patients with suspected or moderate malnutrition (SGA “B”) and patients with severe malnutrition (SGA “C”).
For malnutrition assessment different anthropometric measurements are used. Most important of them include measurement of: body mass index (BMI), mid-arm circumference (MAC), triceps skinfold thickness (TSFT), mid-arm muscle circumference (MAMC), calf circumference.
So far, the known screening devices and anthropometric measures are considered variables susceptible to the impact of the critical illness. Throughout the years, numerous attempts for identification and development of new possibilities for determination of malnutrition have been made concerning critically ill patients, but consensus has not yet been reached.