Impact of the Time to Initiation of Parenteral Nutrition on Patient Outcomes in Critically Ill Adults

Abstract

Background: The optimal time to initiate parenteral nutrition (PN) in critically ill adults in whom enteral nutrition is not feasible is controversial. Objective: The objectives were to compare in-hospital mortality and hospital length of stay in patients initiated on PN within 7 days or after 7 days of poor nutrient intake. Methods: This single-center, retrospective study included critically ill adult patients who received at least 2 consecutive days of PN during hospitalization from May 2014 to July 2016. Results: The median duration of PN (interquartile range) was 8 (5-13) days. In total, 110 patients received PN within 7 days of poor nutrient intake while 49 patients received PN after 7 days of poor nutrient intake. There was no statistically significant difference in in-hospital mortality between groups (29.09% vs 18.37%, P =.1535). Patients initiated within 7 days had a significantly shorter median hospital length of stay than patients initiated after 7 days (20 days vs 27 days, P =.0013). There were 69 patients who were classified as obese. Obese patients initiated within 7 days had a significantly shorter median hospital length of stay than obese patients initiated after 7 days (17 days vs 33 days, P =.0007). Conclusions: Time to initiation of PN did not impact in-hospital mortality. However, there was an association between early initiation of PN and a shorter hospital length of stay that was most pronounced among obese patients.