Introduction:

Heart failure is a clinical syndrome in which there is an imbalance between cardiac output and the body's demands, and it is one of the most common causes of morbidity and mortality in hospitalized patients.

Objective:

To determine the demographic and clinical characteristics and establish the prevalence of malnutrition in patients hospitalized for chronic heart failure at the Regional Hospital of Encarnación, Paraguay, from June 2023 to August 2024.

Methodology:

An observational, descriptive, cross-sectional design was applied, using data from clinical records of adult subjects of both sexes admitted to the Medical Clinic Service. Sampling was non-probabilistic for convenience. Anthropometric and clinical variables were measured. Malnutrition was assessed according to GLIM and CONUT criteria.

Results:

The sample consisted of 137 patients, with a prevalence of malnutrition of 42.3%, 55% of whom were male, with an average age of 68 ± 13 years. Sixty-six percent had a grade 1 according to GLIM criteria. According to CONUT criteria, 57% had a low stage of malnutrition. The average length of hospital stay was 7.6 days (range 1-23 days). Twelve percent of malnourished patients (n = 58) died from various causes.

Conclusion:

The prevalence of malnutrition in patients hospitalized for chronic heart failure was 42.3%.

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