I suspect that patients that look gaunt are not adequately nourished and beause they’re not, they’re at higher risk of infection, hospitalization, and early death. Data has shown that people that have a little extra weight seem to do better on dialysis.
Here is the link to the National Kidney Foundation’s nutrition guidelines for patients on dialysis that were published in 2000. This includes measurement of nutritional status. http://www.kidney.org/professionals/kdoqi/guidelines_updates/doqi_nut.html
It’s possible you’re thinking of nPNA. Here’s the guideline that discusses what tests should be run and at what frequency:
http://www.kidney.org/professionals/kdoqi/guidelines_updates/nut_a02.html
The NKF also has a number of other guidelines that you can find at:
http://www.kidney.org/professionals/kdoqi/guidelines.cfm