Effect of malnutrition-driven nutritional support protocol on clinical outcomes in autologous stem cell transplantation patients

Nutritional Support Best Practices in Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplant Patients: An Integrative Review

Nutrition is vital to the long-term survival of children undergoing blood and marrow transplantation (BMT), but there is no standardization on how to optimize the nutritional status of these patients. A literature search was performed to evaluate nutritional support approaches currently in practice for pediatric patients who are undergoing BMT. CINAHL, Embase, and Cochrane databases were searched for peer-reviewed articles evaluating nutritional interventions for BMT recipients aged 20 or younger. Nine articles published between 2019 and 2023 were found and reviewed. The nutritional support varied between enteral nutrition, parenteral nutrition, a combination of both, and prophylactic feeding tube placement. The post-transplant outcomes identified as associated with alterations in nutritional regimens included length of stay, date of platelet engraftment, incidence of acute graft-versus-host disease, infection rate, and overall survival. The use of any amount of enteral nutrition compared to parenteral alone was beneficial. Complications during BMT can potentially be decreased via prioritizing enteral nutrition over parenteral. The paucity of literature on this topic highlights an unmet need in the field. Future research should focus on ways to optimize the nutritional support of transplant recipients, including increasing the likelihood of enteral feeding tube placement and utilization.

Changes in Nutritional Intake, Body Composition, and Handgrip Strength in Patients Undergoing Autologous Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation: A Retrospective Study

Patients who undergo autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (autoHSCT) often experience reduced oral intake and wasting. We examined their daily nutritional intake, assessed alterations in body composition and muscle strength, and explored associations between decreased nutritional intake and treatment outcomes. This retrospective study included 64 patients. Their food record charts and parenteral nutrition (PN) prescriptions from medical records were used to assess nutritional intake. Body composition and handgrip strength data were obtained from dietitian records. Patients consumed >75% of their nutritional requirements through an oral diet in 6.7 days, 50-75% in 4.8 days, 25-50% in 5.0 days, and <25% in 3.1 days. The average oral intake was 62% of the requirement and was partially supplemented with PN. Patients experienced a mean decrease in body weight of 2.9 ± 3.0 kg, with 2.3 ± 3.4 kg of lean mass, and a mean reduction in handgrip strength of 3.5 ± 3.6 kg. We found a positive correlation of caloric deficits with weight loss and handgrip strength reduction and negative correlation with time to neutrophil engraftment and duration of hospitalization. This study highlighted a notable reduction in oral nutritional intake following autoHSCT. While caloric deficits might affect outcomes, further investigation is warranted to explore this observation.

Enteral nutrition optimization program for children undergoing blood & marrow transplantation: A quality improvement project

BACKGROUND

Malnutrition in children and young adults undergoing blood and marrow transplantation (BMT) increases morbidity and mortality. Addressing this via optimization of enteral nutrition can potentially improve outcomes.

METHODS

This Quality Improvement project utilized pre-post-intervention design and post-intervention survey to evaluate a novel program optimizing enteral nutrition support in children undergoing BMT. All patients aged 0-18 who were admitted during the 16-week implementation period followed the Enteral Nutrition Optimization Program from pre-BMT through discharge. Data on biometric indicators, complications, and post-transplant milestone time markers were evaluated via Mann-Whitney U, Fisher's exact, and Chi-square tests as indicated using SPSS™ Version 27. A separate sample of clinical providers completed a post-intervention survey to evaluate the feasibility and acceptance of the intervention.

FINDINGS

Six patients received the intervention, with 12 patients evaluated. There were no statistical differences between groups on measured evaluations of weight loss (0.15 kg vs +0.4 kg, p = 0.39), malnutrition (2 vs 3, p = 0.545), graft-versus-host-disease (2 vs 2, p = 1), time to engraftment (platelets day 22 vs 20.5, p = 0.589), infections (p = 0.368), and length of stay (32.5 days vs 31 days, p = 1). The provider sample of 45 participants showed overall feasibility and acceptance of the intervention (88.9% agreed or strongly agreed).

DISCUSSION

Feasibility and acceptance were high, resulting in increased use of nasogastric and gastrostomy tubes. Though no clinical significance, interpretation is limited due to the small sample size.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

Implementing a novel nutritional support program resulted in a culture shift towards enteral nutrition optimization. Further studies are needed to determine clinical impacts.

Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infection in Patients With Hematologic Malignancy Receiving Parenteral Nutrition

PURPOSE

Parenteral nutrition (PN) has been shown to be a safe method of feeding in the intensive care unit with modern infection prevention practices, but similar analysis in the hematology-oncology setting is lacking.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis of 1,617 patients with hematologic malignancies admitted and discharged from the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania during 3,629 encounters from 2017 to 2019 was undertaken to evaluate the association of PN administration with risk of central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI). Proportions of mucosal barrier injury (MBI)-CLABSI and non-MBI-CLABSI were also compared between groups.

RESULTS

Risk of CLABSI was associated with cancer type and duration of neutropenia but not with PN administration (odds ratio, 1.015; 95% CI, 0.986 to 1.045; P = .305) in a multivariable analysis. MBI-CLABSI comprised 73% of CLABSI in patients exposed to and 70% in patients not exposed to PN, and there was no significant difference between groups (χ2 = 0.06, P = .800).

CONCLUSION

PN was not associated with increased risk of CLABSI in a sample of patients with hematologic malignancy with central venous catheters when adjusting for cancer type, duration of neutropenia, and catheter days. The high proportion of MBI-CLABSI highlights the effect of gut permeability within this population.

Body Composition Impacts Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Outcomes in Both Autologous and Allogeneic Transplants: A Systematic Review

According to World Health Organization, over 50,000 hematopoietic stem cell transplants (HSCTs) are performed annually worldwide. Though HSCT can extend life-expectancy and improve disease-related health burdens, it is not without risks. Post-transplant overall survival is improving; therefore, it is imperative that factors contributing to or impeding further improvements are well understood. The purpose of this systematic review is to explore current data on body composition (specifically weight loss, BMI, obesity and sarcopenia) and the relation to HSCT outcomes. A literature search was conducted via PubMed and Web of Science databases. Key words included "body composition," "sarcopenia," "hematopoietic stem cell transplant," "malnutrition," "body mass index," and "obesity." Results indicated that 16 out of 18 analyzed studies found a statistically significant relationship between body composition, in particular higher BMI and weight loss, and at least one survival-related outcome variable (eg., non-relapse mortality, overall survival and/or relapse). Based on the findings of this review, body composition, whether evaluated before or during HSCT, can impact a wide variety of post-transplant outcomes. This speaks to the importance of evaluating patients pre-transplant, identifying potential risk factors for worsened outcomes, and providing immediate interventions in order to optimize transplant outcomes.