Assessment of the nutritional state of patients with an intestinal fistula.

The arm muscle area, derived fat-free mass, urinary excretion of 3-methylhistidine and creatinine were measured serially in a group of patients with an intestinal fistula receiving prolonged nutritional support. While the two anthropometric tests appeared reasonable indicators of changes in muscle mass in these patients, the marked intra-individual variability in excretion of 3-methylhistidine and creatinine created problems in interpretation. It is suggested that more use be made of serial anthropometry in district general hospitals as an alternative, simple, measure of nutritional status.