Effect of Nutritional Support on Energy Balance and Its Clinical Outcome in ICU [Intensive Care Unit] Patients

Abstract

Critical care is the specialized treatment provided to patients in intensive care units who are severely ill and need extensive care and close monitoring. Hence the present study was undertaken. A total of hundred samples were collected exclusively on those who stayed a minimum of five days in Intensive Care Unit from two reputed Multispecialty Tertiary Hospitals from Kerala, India. APACHE II scoring system, Day World Wide’s ICU Questionnaire and Glasgow Coma Scale were adopted to collect patient’s data such as personal details, demographic data, medical history, bio-physical parameters, bio- chemical parameters, feeding techniques, time of feeding and nutritional requirements. Admission to Medical ICU were about 43% with respiratory failure, sepsis and other infections, 22% were admitted with neurological diseases and 35% were nephrology patient. It is evident that about 79% were suffering from anorexia. Comparing the administration of exclusive commercial feed to commercial plus kitchen feed, it was observed that patients fed with the latter experienced increased abdominal pain (21%) and vomiting (17%). Diarrhea was more common in patients fed with commercial formula (12%), while constipation was higher in patients fed with kitchen feed (19%). There is no conclusive evidence favoring either exclusive commercial feed or kitchen plus commercial feed. A small percentage (7%) of patients had a mortality rate exceeding 80%. Positive outcomes were observed in critically ill patients through the enteral feeding system, with no significant difference between exclusive commercial feed and kitchen plus commercial feed.

Keywords:

• Critically ill patients
• clinical features
• formula feed
• kitchen plus commercial feed
• nutritional requirements

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Dr Rita Latha D’couto, Principal and management, St. Joseph’s College for Women, Alappuzha for the valuable cooperation extended during this study.

Authors’ Contributions

Amina Jamal contributed to the data collection and interpretation. Jiby Abraham and Dr Anju M Neeliyara guided the original research and Akshara S had the role of writing article.

Disclosure Statement

The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial assistance offered by KSCSTE, Sastra Bhavan, Pattom, Thiruvananthapuram for the successful completion of the project.

Additional information

Funding

This project is funded by KSCSTE, Sastra Bhavan, Pattom, Thiruvanathapuram, Kerala, India.