Optimising enteral nutrition in critically ill patients by reducing fasting times.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Enteral nutrition is currently the route of choice for feeding critically ill patients with a functioning gut but delivery is commonly associated with disruptions. Common reasons for interruptions to enteral nutrition are fasting for diagnostic procedures, surgery and airway management. These interruptions result in significant calorie deficits that are associated with increased complications. We aimed to describe the specific interruptions in our patient group and the impact they have on nutrition delivery before and after implementation of a fasting guideline.

Methods

A service improvement project was undertaken over two different time points, 1 year apart, to evaluate the effectiveness of a fasting guideline in a general/trauma ICU in a London teaching hospital

SUBMITTER: Segaran E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5606376 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature