A prospective observation was conducted with the hypothesis that the nutritional situation has influence in postoperative development of hip surgery [n = 100; age 76 years (55-95)]. A nutritional evaluation was performed before surgery through the evolution of height, body weight, skin fold and braquial and muscular circunference. Serie proteins and lymphocytes levels were measured during hospital admission, in postoperative and each seven days. A 51% of patients showed protein-energy malnutrition (PEM). Transfusional haematic requirements were 600 c c . in malnutrition patients and 350 c.c. in the rest (p < 0.05). Complications appeared in PEM patients in 73% cases. The hospital stay was longer in those patients who presented PEM upon admittance (p < 0.01). Postoperatively, the prealbumin was the protein whose serie level had faster changes.

A prospective observation was conducted with the hypothesis that the nutritional situation has influence in postoperative development of hip surgery [n = 100; age 76 years (55-95)]. A nutritional evaluation was performed before surgery through the evolution of height, body weight, skin fold and braquial and muscular circunference. Serie proteins and lymphocytes levels were measured during hospital admission, in postoperative and each seven days. A 51% of patients showed protein-energy malnutrition (PEM). Transfusional haematic requirements were 600 c c . in malnutrition patients and 350 c.c. in the rest (p < 0.05). Complications appeared in PEM patients in 73% cases. The hospital stay was longer in those patients who presented PEM upon admittance (p < 0.01). Postoperatively, the prealbumin was the protein whose serie level had faster changes.