Gastrointestinal dysfunction during enteral nutrition delivery in intensive care unit (ICU) patients: Risk factors, natural history, and clinical implications. A post-hoc analysis of The Augmented versus Routine approach to Giving Energy Trial (TARGET)

Nutrition considerations for patients with persistent critical illness: A narrative review

Critically ill patients experience high rates of malnutrition and significant muscle loss during their intensive care unit (ICU) admission, impacting recovery. Nutrition is likely to play an important role in mitigating the development and progression of malnutrition and muscle loss observed in ICU, yet definitive clinical trials of nutrition interventions in ICU have failed to show benefit. As improvements in the quality of medical care mean that sicker patients are able to survive the initial insult, combined with an aging and increasingly comorbid population, it is anticipated that ICU length of stay will continue to increase. This review aims to discuss nutrition considerations unique to critically ill patients who have persistent critical illness, defined as an ICU stay of >10 days. A discussion of nutrition concepts relevant to patients with persistent critical illness will include energy and protein metabolism, prescription, and delivery; monitoring of nutrition at the bedside; and the role of the healthcare team in optimizing nutrition support.

Development and validation of a nomogram for predicting enteral feeding intolerance in critically ill patients (NOFI): Mixed retrospective and prospective cohort study

OBJECTIVE

Developing and validating a clinical prediction nomogram of enteral feeding intolerance (NOFI) in critically ill patients. So as to help clinicians implement pre-intervention for patients with high risk of enteral feeding intolerance (FI), formulate individualized feeding strategies, and reduce the probability of FI occurrence.

METHODS

From March 2018 to April 2023, patients who met the inclusion criteria but did not meet the exclusion criteria constituted the development cohort for retrospective analysis, and NOFI was developed. Patients recruited consecutively between May 2023 and July 2023 constituted the validation cohort for the prospective analysis for independent external validation of NOFI. Initially, a backward stepwise method was employed to conduct a multivariate logistic regression analysis in the development cohort, aiming to identify the optimal-fit model. Subsequently, a nomogram was derived from this model. The validation of the nomogram was carried out in an independent external validation cohort, where discrimination and calibration were evaluated. Additionally, a decision curve analysis was conducted to assess the net benefit of utilizing the nomogram for decision-making.

RESULTS

A total of 628 and 143 patients, 49.0 % and 51.7 % of patients occurred FI, were included in the development and validation cohort, respectively. We developed a NOFI in severely ill patients and the primary diagnosis, Acute gastrointestinal injury (AGI) grade, and APACHE II score were independent predictors of FI, with the OR of the primary diagnosis of circulatory disease being 2.281 (95 % CI, 1.364-3.816; P = 0.002); The OR of respiratory diseases was 0.424 (95 % CI, 0.259-0.594; P = 0.001); The OR of AGI grade was 4.920 (95 % CI, 3.773-6.416; P < 0.001), OR of APACHE II score was 1.100 (95 % CI, 1.059-1.143; P < 0.001). Independent external validation of the prediction model was performed. This model has good discrimination and calibration. The decision curve analysis of the nomogram provided better net benefit than the alternate options (full early enteral nutrition or delayed enteral nutrition).

CONCLUSIONS

The prediction of enteral feeding intolerance can be conveniently facilitated by the NOFI that integrates primary diagnosis, AGI grade, and APACHE II score in critically ill patients.

Controlled enteral nutrition in critical care patients - A randomized clinical trial of a novel management system

PURPOSE

Nutritional therapy is essential to ICU care. Successful early enteral feeding is hindered by lack of protocols, gastrointestinal intolerance and feeding interruptions, leading to impaired nutritional intake. smART+ was developed as a nutrition management feeding platform controlling tube positioning, reflux, gastric pressure, and malnutrition. This study evaluated the potential of this new ICU care platform to deliver targeted nutrition and improve ICU outcomes.

METHODS

Critically ill patients ≥18 years-old, mechanically ventilated and enterally fed, were randomized to receive ESPEN-guideline-based nutrition or smART+ -guided nutrition for 2-14 days. Primary endpoint was average deviation from daily targeted nutrition determined via calculation of energy targets per calorimetry. Secondary endpoints included gastric residual volumes, length of stay (LOS) and length of ventilation (LOV).

RESULTS

smART+ achieved a mean deviation from daily targeted nutrition of 10.5% (n = 48) versus 34.3% for control (n = 50), p < 0.0001. LOS and LOV were decreased in the smART+ group versus control (mean LOS: 10.4 days versus 13.7; reduction 3.3 days, adjusted HR 1.71, 95% CI:1.13,2.60, p = 0.012; mean LOV: 9.5 days versus 12.8 days reduction of 3.3 days, adjusted HR 1.64, 95% CI:1.08-2.51, p = 0.021). Feeding goals were met (within ±10%) on 75.7% of days for smART+ versus 23.3% for control (p < 0.001). No treatment-related adverse events occurred in either group. The study was stopped due to success in a planned interim analysis of the first 100 patients.

CONCLUSION

The smART+ Platform improved adherence to feeding goals and reduced LOS and LOV versus standard of care in critically ill patients.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

NCT04098224; registered September 23, 2019.

Enteral Nutrition Safety and Outcomes of Patients with COVID-19 on Continuous Infusion of Neuromuscular Blockers: A Retrospective Study

Background

Intravenous infusions of neuromuscular blocking agents (NMBAs) and prone positioning are recommended for acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) due to COVID-19. The safety of enteral nutrition (EN) during these treatments is unclear. This study assessed EN tolerance and safety during NMBA infusion in proned and nonproned patients with ARDS due to COVID-19.

Methods

This retrospective study evaluated patients who were admitted to a tertiary-care ICU between March and December 2020, had ARDS due to COVID-19, and received NMBA infusion. We assessed their EN data, gastrointestinal events, and clinical outcomes. The primary outcome was gastrointestinal intolerance, defined as a gastric residual volume (GRV) ≥500 ml or 200-500 ml with vomiting. We compared proned and nonproned patients.

Results

We studied 181 patients (mean age 61.2 ± 13.7 years, males 71.1%, and median body mass index 31.4 kg/m2). Most (63.5%) patients were proned, and 94.3% received EN in the first 48 hours of NMBA infusion at a median dose <10 kcal/kg/day. GRV was mostly below 100 ml. Gastrointestinal intolerance occurred in 6.1% of patients during NMBA infusion and 10.5% after NMBA discontinuation (similar rates in proned and nonproned patients). Patients who had gastrointestinal intolerance during NMBA infusion had a higher hospital mortality (90.9% versus 60.0%; p=0.05) and longer mechanical ventilation duration and ICU and hospital stays compared with those who did not.

Conclusion

In COVID-19 patients on NMBA infusion for ARDS, EN was provided early at low doses for most patients, and gastrointestinal intolerance was uncommon in proned and nonproned patients, occurred at a higher rate after discontinuing NMBAs and was associated with worse outcomes. Our study suggests that EN was tolerated and safe in this patient population.

Using Machine-Learning to Assess the Prognostic Value of Early Enteral Feeding Intolerance in Critically Ill Patients: A Retrospective Study

BACKGROUND

The association between gastrointestinal intolerance during early enteral nutrition (EN) and adverse clinical outcomes in critically ill patients is controversial. We aimed to assess the prognostic value of enteral feeding intolerance (EFI) markers during early ICU stays and to predict early EN failure using a machine learning (ML) approach.

METHODS

We performed a retrospective analysis of data from adult patients admitted to Beilinson Hospital ICU between January 2011 and December 2018 for more than 48 h and received EN. Clinical data, including demographics, severity scores, EFI markers, and medications, along with 72 h after admission, were analyzed by ML algorithms. Prediction performance was assessed by the area under the receiver operating characteristics (AUCROC) of a ten-fold cross-validation set.

RESULTS

The datasets comprised 1584 patients. The means of the cross-validation AUCROCs for 90-day mortality and early EN failure were 0.73 (95% CI 0.71-0.75) and 0.71 (95% CI 0.67-0.74), respectively. Gastric residual volume above 250 mL on the second day was an important component of both prediction models.

CONCLUSIONS

ML underlined the EFI markers that predict poor 90-day outcomes and early EN failure and supports early recognition of at-risk patients. Results have to be confirmed in further prospective and external validation studies.

Inter-relationships between gastric emptying and glycaemia: Implications for clinical practice

Gastric emptying (GE) exhibits a wide inter-individual variation and is a major determinant of postprandial glycaemia in health and diabetes; the rise in blood glucose following oral carbohydrate is greater when GE is relatively more rapid and more sustained when glucose tolerance is impaired. Conversely, GE is influenced by the acute glycaemic environment acute hyperglycaemia slows, while acute hypoglycaemia accelerates it. Delayed GE (gastroparesis) occurs frequently in diabetes and critical illness. In diabetes, this poses challenges for management, particularly in hospitalised individuals and/or those using insulin. In critical illness it compromises the delivery of nutrition and increases the risk of regurgitation and aspiration with consequent lung dysfunction and ventilator dependence. Substantial advances in knowledge relating to GE, which is now recognised as a major determinant of the magnitude of the rise in blood glucose after a meal in both health and diabetes and, the impact of acute glycaemic environment on the rate of GE have been made and the use of gut-based therapies such as glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists, which may profoundly impact GE, in the management of type 2 diabetes, has become commonplace. This necessitates an increased understanding of the complex inter-relationships of GE with glycaemia, its implications in hospitalised patients and the relevance of dysglycaemia and its management, particularly in critical illness. Current approaches to management of gastroparesis to achieve more personalised diabetes care, relevant to clinical practice, is detailed. Further studies focusing on the interactions of medications affecting GE and the glycaemic environment in hospitalised patients, are required.

Current insights in ICU nutrition: tailored nutrition

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

To summarize recent research on critical care nutrition focusing on the optimal composition, timing, and monitoring of enteral feeding strategies for (post)-ICU patients. We provide new insights on energy and protein recommendations, feeding intolerance, and describe nutritional practices for coronavirus disease 2019 ICU patients.

RECENT FINDINGS

The use of indirect calorimetry to establish individual energy requirements for ICU patients is considered the gold standard. The limited research on optimal feeding targets in the early phase of critical illness suggests avoiding overfeeding. Protein provision based upon the absolute lean body mass is rational. Therefore, body composition measurements should be considered. Body impedance analysis and muscle ultrasound seem reliable, affordable, and accessible methods to assess body composition at the bedside. There is inadequate evidence to change our practice of continuous enteral feeding into intermittent feeding. Finally, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 patients are prone to underfeeding due to hypermetabolism and should be closely monitored.

SUMMARY

Nutritional therapy should be adapted to the patient's characteristics, diagnosis, and state of metabolism during ICU stay and convalescence. A personalized nutrition plan may prevent harmful over- or underfeeding and attenuate muscle loss. Despite novel insights, more research is warranted into tailored nutrition strategies during critical illness and convalescence.