INTRODUCTION: Malnutrition is a complication that occurs frequently in hospitalized patients and influencing treatment efficacy, risks of complications, costs, prognosis, mortality and hospital stay. Cardiac Cachexia is a complication that is characterized by weight loss and suggests different mechanisms to explain it: poor diet, intestinal malabsorption, impaired metabolism, loss of nutrients through the digestive tract or urinary tract, increased protein loss and decreased anabolism, increased basal metabolic rate. It is reported a reduction in mortality in cardiac patients with higher body mass index (BMI), this potential protective effect is known as the obesity paradox. In a clinical study to determine whether BMI influences the risk of mortality in acute decompensated heart failure, the authors compared the BMI of 108 927 hospitalized patients and noted that hospital mortality was decreased as BMI increased, decreasing the risk of death 10% for every 5 unit increase in BMI of patients. Moreover, the enteral nutrition within the first 48hr after surgery, helps maintain the integrity of the intestinal mucosa and reduces the secretion of catabolic hormones. A meta-analysis shows that 85% of high-risk surgical patients tolerate enteral nutrition in the early postoperative period. As a nutritional support in critically ill patients, enteral keeps physiological mechanisms, a lower incidence of complications and low cost. Nutritional support in critically ill patients has three objectives: to conserve body mass, modulate immune function and metabolic response to moderate stress.

OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY: To determine the effect of implementing a nutritional support protocol on the outcome of cardiovascular surgery patients.

METHODOLOGY: The investigators performed a controlled clinical trial in adult patients, both genders admitted to the coronary intensive care UMAE. IMSS No.1, having undergone cardiac surgery with or without pump. There will be a nutritional screening and patients with malnutrition are included at random to group A (which will immunomodulatory individualized diet) or group B (conventional nutritional treatment). The protocol will be given nutritional support enterally during their hospital stay. The progress of nutritional status will be measured by weight, BMI, albumin, transferrin, total count of lymphocytes and total proteins in addition to the hospital stay, complications and mortality. A comparison of the effect of individualized nutritional support with a standard control group will be performed.

ANALYSIS: The results will be emptied in a database in Excel. The investigators will use statistical packages: NCSS 2007 (01/07/1919) and SPSS (15.0). Qualitative variables will be expressed as percentages, quantitative variables as mean and standard deviation if the distribution is normal. The results will be analyzed according to intention to treat. Comparison of nutritional status by various quantitative indicators will be made by paired t test or Mann Whitney according to their distribution. Categorical variables were expressed as proportions and compared using Chi Square test. All tests will be considered significant p values less than 5%.