Isolated or Combined Use of NUTRIC Score and NRS-2002 to Predict Mortality in Patients Admitted to the Intensive Care Unit for Respiratory Failure

Malnutrition is a significant and widespread issue amongst hospitalized patients. Its prevalence is higher in critically ill patients who are admitted to Intensive Care Units (ICUs). Nutritional screening aims to estimate the probability of both positive and negative outcomes in patient treatment based on nutrition-related factors, and whether nutritional therapy can have a positive effect. The Nutritional Risk Score-2002 (NRS-2002) and Nutritional Risk Score in Critically Ill Patients (NUTRIC) are commonly used for nutritional risk assessment in critically ill patients. However, there is currently insufficient evidence in the literature to determine which scale should take precedence in the nutritional care protocol of critically ill patients with respiratory failure. Furthermore, there are no studies demonstrating the sensitivity of these scales varies based on the type of respiratory failure. This study aims to examine the effectiveness of the NUTRIC Score and NRS-2002, alone or combined, in predicting hospital, 28-day, and 3-month mortality in critically ill patients admitted to the intensive care unit with respiratory failure. Do the NUTRIC Score and NRS-2002 provide sufficient accuracy or is there a distinction when utilised singularly or together in forecasting mortality rates within the hospital, 28-day and 3-month time frames? Additionally, is there a defined threshold for predicting mortality in patients with respiratory failure when using the NUTRIC Score and NRS-2002 either by themselves or in conjunction? Does the efficacy of these prediction tools differ based on the type of respiratory failure?