New thinking about postoperative hypoalbuminemia: a hypothesis of occult protein-losing enteropathy.
Year: 2009
Type: article
Abstract: ypoalbuminemia is a common and vexing postoperative complication.In some case series, about 20% to 40% of patients sustained an acute, prolonged, and profound drop in serum albumin after elective surgery.[1][2][3] Acute hypoalbuminemia is sufficiently common in critical care as to be an established risk factor in the APACHE index.4 Hypoalbuminemia can lead to delayed mobilization, inadequate vascular access and unnecessary doses of diuretics.Where does the albumin go?The laws of physiology suggest that hypoalbuminemia reflects some combination of decreased albumin production, increased losses, acute dilution or shifts from the vascular space.5 Low production is easy to hypothesize in a patient with anorexia.However, the half-life of albumin is about 3 weeks.6 Hence, total starvation with
Source: PubMed Central
Author: Donald A Redelmeier
Language: English
Subfield: Nutrition and Dietetics
Field: Nursing
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2992913422