Unit of Nutrition and Dietetic Studies, Department of Clinical Medicine, Trinity Centre for Health Sciences, St. James's Hospital, Dublin 8, Ireland. Correspondence: Dr C Corish, Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, St. Vincent's Hospital, Elm Park, Dublin 4, Ireland. Telephone: +353 1 2094554 / +353 1 2951225. Fax: +353 1 2696018. E-mail: tc@clubi.ie

Abstract: Nutritional depletion has been frequently documented in adult surgical patients admitted to hospital with nutritional status being known to deteriorate over the course of the hospital stay. In the elderly in particular, undernutrition has serious implications for health and for recovery from illness or surgery. This, in turn, has cost implications for the health service and the efficient distribution of health care. Because nutritional depletion is often insidious, nutritional problems frequently go unrecognised and untreated. Nutritional screening and assessment of nutritional status should therefore form an essential part of the health care of any elderly patient who requires surgical intervention. This paper aims to review the screening and assessment techniques currently available and their applicability to the elderly surgical patient.

Key Words: Elderly, nutrition, undernutrition, nutritional screening, aging, nutritional assessment