Arikawa R, Kanda D, Ikeda Y, et al. - Malnutrition [geriatric nutritional risk index (GNRI) < 92] was identified as an independent risk factor for major cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) in coronary artery disease (CAD) patients with myocardial damage. Nutritional status evaluation not only may aid in risk stratification of cardiovascular events but also promote improvements in nutritional status.

• A total of 241 stable CAD patients with myocardial damage who had successful revascularization for the culprit lesion by percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) were included.

• Mean GNRI was 100 ± 13, and 55 patients were malnourished (23%; GNRI < 92) and 186 were non-malnourished (77%).

• A higher rate of MACCE (38%) was found in the malnourished group vs the non-malnourished group (11%).

• Factors significantly linked with MACCE, in multivariate Cox proportional hazards analysis, were: hemodialysis [hazard ratio (HR) 2.17) and malnutrition (HR 2.30).

• A greater risk of MACCE post-PCI was detected in patients with malnutrition and hemodialysis vs those with neither malnutrition nor hemodialysis (HR 6.91), in Cox proportional hazards models using malnutrition and hemodialysis.