Nutrition in the critically ill patient

Abstract

Nutritional support of the critically ill patient can improve health and organ function and have a significant impact on survival. An awareness of a patient's nutritional status by the team of surgeon, anesthesiologist and internist helps to identify disease related malnutrition, and objective responses to nutritional repletion can be measured with relative ease. An understanding of the metabolic alterations after trauma or sepsis can help the practicing physician correct the deficits created during the various phases of injury. In management of the critically ill patient, careful attention must be given to formulating nutritional support plans that allow recovery of associated organ dysfunction. Elective and semielective anesthesia and surgical procedures must be delayed until an adequate plan for the support of organ homeostasis can be developed and instituted. The availability of many modalities of nutritional support enables one to do this quite effectively, so that wound healing, convalescence and the final outcome of operation are influenced in a favorable manner. Seventy four references are cited.