Jpen Parenter Enter
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Jpen Parenter Enter · Sep 2011
Review"CAN WE FEED?" A mnemonic to merge nutrition and intensive care assessment of the critically ill patient.
As care of the critically ill patient grows more complex, so does the breadth of knowledge required of the intensivist to deliver quality service. Nutrition is one area of many where the complexity of care has grown and the opportunity for improving patient outcomes has become evident. The use of mnemonics has proven successful in compartmentalizing information that must be considered in complex decision-making processes. ⋯ Energy requirements (E) are determined using conventional weight-based equations, indirect calorimetry, or combinations of both techniques. The more practical aspects of support that follow include formula selection (F), enteral access (E), efficacy (E), and the determination of tolerance (D). With careful consideration of these components through the use of the mnemonic "CAN WE FEED?" the intensivist can successfully implement a nutrition plan, and the clinical nutritionist can appreciate where nutrition therapy appropriately intervenes in the initial resuscitation and management of the critically ill patient.
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Obesity is an epidemic that affects approximately 30% of the adult population in the United States. The prevalence of obesity in the critically ill seems to correlate with the rise in obesity in the general population. Delivery of standard enteral nutrition (EN) to patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) has been shown to decrease infectious complications. ⋯ Because of obesity-associated increased ICU risk, provision of certain pharmaconutrients should be considered in obese patients requiring EN therapy. This review examines the evidence for specific nutrients such as green tea, curcumin, sulforaphane, poly-unsaturated fatty acids, L-arginine, L-citrulline, L-leucine, protein, probiotics, magnesium, medium-chain triglycerides, and zinc for the treatment of obesity. These nutrients could potentially be added to current EN formulas or provided as supplements.
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Jpen Parenter Enter · Sep 2011
Comparative StudySmall bowel feeding tube placement using an electromagnetic tube placement device: accuracy of tip location.
An electromagnetic tube placement device (ETPD) monitors tip position of feeding tubes (FT) during placement in the digestive tract. It helps to avoid airway misplacement and permits positioning into the small bowel (SB). This study compares the overall agreement between FT tip location as determined by an ETPD vs an abdominal radiograph of the kidneys, ureter, and bladder (KUB). ⋯ The strong agreement between KUB and ETPD, when tubes were believed to be in the second part of the duodenum or beyond, suggests that KUB is necessary only when the FT tip is suspected to be in the proximal duodenum.
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Jpen Parenter Enter · Sep 2011
Comparative StudyBody composition (sarcopenia) in obese patients: implications for care in the intensive care unit.
The study of body composition is a rapidly evolving science. In today's environment, there is a great deal of interest in assessing body composition, especially in the obese subject, as a guide to clinical and nutrition interventions. ⋯ The recognition of patients with sarcopenic obesity has identified a potential high-risk patient population. These body composition abnormalities may have even greater importance in the intensive care patient.
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Jpen Parenter Enter · Sep 2011
Obesity epidemic: overview, pathophysiology, and the intensive care unit conundrum.
Obesity is one of the leading causes of preventable death in the United States, second only to smoking. The annual number of deaths attributed to obesity is estimated to be as high as 400,000. Nearly 70% of the adult U. ⋯ Obesity in general is associated with increased all-cause mortality and cause-specific mortality (from cardiovascular, diabetic, hepatic, and neoplastic causes). Yet despite increased overall mortality rates, current evidence suggests that when these same patients are admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU), the obesity provides some protection against mortality. At present, there is no clear explanation for this obesity conundrum in critical illness.