Fig. 1

Organizing framework malnutrition and undernutrition and impact on outcomes in cardiac surgery patients. The patients’ preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative time windows comprise specific variables, which may be of particular relevance for potential nutrition support and patients’ outcomes after surgery. Notably, additional studies are encouraged to identify further relevant factors and to validate its clinical significance. STS Society of Thoracic Surgeons, BMI body mass index, ICU intensive care unit, APACHE II Acute Physiology And Chronic Health Evaluation II, SOFA sequential organ failure assessment, Nutric Nutrition Risk in the Critically ill, CRP C reactive protein, IL interleukin, PCT procalcitonin, PUFA polyunsaturated fatty acids, SYNTAX scoring system to guide decision between coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery or percutaneous intervention (PCI), NRS nutritional risk score