Malnutrition universal screening tool predicts postoperative complications following major head and neck cancer surgery

BackgroundHead and neck cancer patients are at risk for malnutrition, which can impact postoperative outcomes. This study evaluates the Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST) to predict outcomes in major head and neck surgeries. MethodsA retrospective chart review included 275 major surgical procedures performed on 242 patients over the age of 18 years between May 2015 and May 2020. ResultsThe majority of patients had a MUST score of zero (68.7%). Just under 17% scored 2 or greater indicating malnourishment. Having a MUST score of 2 or higher was associated with occurrence of a postoperative complication (p < 0.001). Patients with alcohol use disorder or depression were 5.2 (CI: 2.0-13.7, p = 0.001) and 2.75 (CI 1.1-7.0; p = 0.033) times more likely to develop a postoperative complication, respectively. ConclusionsMalnutrition and comorbidities were associated with complications in our surgical cohort. MUST is a novel tool to identify patients who may benefit from nutritional interventions.