Frequency, determinants and impact of feed intolerance amongst the critically ill

Abstract

Introduction Provision of early and adequate enteral nutrition (EN) to critically ill patients is associated with improved clinical outcomes; however, 50 to 60% of prescribed EN is received. We aimed to characterise the incidence and determinants of intolerance and assess its influence on nutritional and clinical outcomes using the 2009 Critical Care Nutrition Survey (CCNS). Methods The CCNS survey is a prospective observational cohort study of nutrition practices from over 150 ICUs around the world. Included patients were those that remained in ICU for >=72 hours and were mechanically ventilated <0.05) (Table 1). Poorer clinical outcomes were seen with increasing number of days of intolerance. (Table presented) Conclusion Intolerance is common amongst the EN ICU population and is associated with poor nutritional and clinical outcomes.