Nutrición hospitalaria : organo oficial de la Sociedad Española de Nutrición Parenteral y Enteral
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Patients with liver failure have a high prevalence of malnutrition, which is related to metabolic abnormalities due to the liver disease, reduced nutrient intake and alterations in digestive function, among other factors. In general, in patients with liver failure, metabolic and nutritional support should aim to provide adequate nutrient intake and, at the same time, to contribute to patients' recovery through control or reversal of metabolic alterations. In critically-ill patients with liver failure, current knowledge indicates that the organ failure is not the main factor to be considered when choosing the nutritional regimen. ⋯ Despite the physiopathological basis classically described by some authors who consider amino acid imbalance to be a triggering factor and key element in maintaining encephalopathy, there are insufficient data to recommend "specific" solutions (branched-chain amino acid-enriched with low aromatic amino acids) as part of nutritional support in patients with acute liver failure. In patients undergoing liver transplantation, nutrient intake should be started early in the postoperative period through transpyloric access. Prevention of the hepatic alterations associated with nutritional support should also be considered in distinct clinical scenarios.
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This article discusses basic features of nutritional support in critically-ill patients: general indications, the route of administration and the optimal timing for the introduction of feeding. Although these features form the bedrock of nutritional support, most of the questions related to these issues are lacking answers based on the highest grade of evidence. Moreover, prospective randomized trials that might elucidate some o f these questions would probably be incompatible with good clinical practice. Nevertheless, nutritional support in critically-ill patients unable to voluntarily meet their own nutritional requirements is currently an unquestionable part of their treatment and care and is essential to the successful management of their illness.
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Review Guideline
Guidelines for specialized nutritional and metabolic support in the critically-ill patient: update. Consensus SEMICYUC-SENPE: severe acute pancreatitis.
Severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) causes local and systemic complications leading to high catabolic, hypermetabolic and hyperdynamic stress states with marked morbidity and mortality. In the last decade, nutritional support has become a key element in the treatment of SAP. Thus, specialized nutrition is indicated from admission, with enteral nutrition being preferred to parenteral nutrition. ⋯ In the last few years, several studies of the administration of immunomodulatory diets in patients with SAP have been carried out to demonstrate their effects on the course of the disease. However, there are few clear recommendations on the prognostic benefits of pharmaconutrient enriched diets in these patients. There is substantial scientific evidence suggesting that the only clear indication for pharmaconutrition in patients with SAP is parenteral glutamine administration, which is recommended by all clinical guidelines with distinct grades of evidence.
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Review Guideline
Guidelines for specialized nutritional and metabolic support in the critically-ill patient: update. Consensus SEMICYUC-SENPE: multiple trauma patient.
Patients with polytrauma can be viewed as paradigmatic of the critically-ill patient. These previously healthy patients undergo a life-threatening aggression leading to an organic response that is no different from that in other types of patients. The profile of trauma patients has changed and currently corresponds to patients who are somewhat older, with a higher body mass index and greater comorbidity. ⋯ Therefore, early nutritional support, preferentially through the enteral route, with appropriate protein intake and glutamine supplementation, provides advantages over other routes and types of nutritional formula. To avoid overnutrition, reduced daily calorie intake can be considered in obese patients and in those with medullary lesions. However, little information on this topic is available in patients with medullary lesions.
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Review Guideline
Guidelines for specialized nutritional and metabolic support in the critically-ill patient: update. Consensus SEMICYUC-SENPE: obese patient.
As a response to metabolic stress, obese critically-ill patients have the same risk of nutritional deficiency as the non-obese and can develop protein-energy malnutrition with accelerated loss of muscle mass. The primary aim of nutritional support in these patients should be to minimize loss of lean mass and accurately evaluate energy expenditure. However, routinely used formulae can overestimate calorie requirements if the patient's actual weight is used. ⋯ In a broad sense, hypocaloric-hyperprotein regimens can be considered specific to obese critically-ill patients, although the complications related to comorbidities in these patients may require other therapeutic possibilities to be considered, with specific nutrients for hyperglycemia, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and sepsis. However, there are no prospective randomized trials with this type of nutrition in this specific population subgroup and the available data are drawn from the general population of critically-ill patients. Consequently, caution should be exercised when interpreting these data.