Geriatric nutritional risk index as a predictor of major postoperative complications in emergency femoral hernia patients.

Background: To evaluate the prognostic values of GNRI for major postoperative complications in emergency femoral hernia patients.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we enrolled 105 emergency femoral hernia patients. GNRI was calculated using preoperative body weight, height, and serum albumin. The primary outcome was a composite of major postoperative complications. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to examine the association between GNRI and major complications. The ability of GNRI in detecting major complications was assessed by area under the curve (AUC).

Results: The prevalence of low, moderate, and severe nutritional risk was 18.1%, 25.7%, and 10.5%. Five patients (4.8%) had major postoperative complications. Higher GNRI was associated with lower risk of major complications after adjusting for age and sex (aOR = 0.90, 95% CI: 0.81-1.00, P = 0.044). The AUC for GNRI identifying major complications was 0.812 (95% CI: 0.640-0.984, P = 0.019), and the optimal cut-point value was 90.96 (sensitivity: 80.0%; specificity: 72.0%).

Conclusions: GNRI is significantly associated with major postoperative complications. It is a simple and useful prognostic tool for femoral hernia patients in emergency settings.