Nutritional Support in Patients with Congenital Heart Disease with Cardiac Cachexia: Experience from a Developing Country

Background and Objectives: The objective of this study is to assess the impact of nutritional support in the post-operative period in patients with congenital heart disease accompanied with cardiac cachexia. Methods and Study Design: A retrospective observational study was planned to review the impact of nutritional support with medical management of patients that underwent open heart surgery. It involves review of cardiac cachexia patients on whom aggressive nutritional support was provided during their hospital stay and was followed during recovery at home. Results: Three adult patients with congenital heart disease and cardiac cachexia underwent corrective open heart surgery. All the patients developed prolonged post-operative cardiac intensive care stay with long periods of ventilation. Two needed tracheostomies. All required nutritional consultation and made recovery once adequate nutritional support was provided. Two of the patients have made good recovery with weight gain while one patient died after being discharged home because of pulmonary sepsis. Conclusion: Cardiac cachexia in patients with congenital heart disease poses a challenge in the post-operative period after corrective open heart surgery. We advocate the use of preoperative nutritional screening and assessment to be mandatory in patients with congenital heart disease and cardiac cachexia who are planning to undergo open heart surgery.