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Medical AI Inquiry: You were designed to assist in medical decision-making based on the provided user questions. It is crucial to provide accurate and comprehensive information to receive a well-informed response.
user
A 65-year-old man who had a 25-lb weight loss over the previous 6 months is diagnosed with adenocarcinoma of the distal esophagus. He undergoes a transhiatal esophagectomy complicated by a cervical leak. He is receiving enteral feeds through a jejunostomy tube. After a week, his physicians wish to assess his nutritional resuscitation. Which of the following is the most accurate measure of adequacy of his nutritional suppo?
assistant
The correct answer is  The serum albumin level provides a rough estimate of protein nutritional adequacy. The accuracy of this estimate is affected by the long half-life of albumin (3 weeks) and the vagaries of hemodilution. Prealbumin, which has a sho half-life (2 days), may be a better indicator of his sho-term nutritional status. The acute-phase serum proteins (such as C-reactive protein, haptoglobin, fibrinogen, and ferritin) also have a very sho half-life (hours) and may also provide good sho-term indications of nutritional status. Transferrin is one of these acutephase proteins, but unfounately its levels, too, are influenced by changes in intravascular volume and, along with the other acute-phase reactants, rise nonspecifically during acute illness.