Systematic review and meta-analysis of the effectiveness of continuous vs intermittent enteral nutrition in critically ill adults.

BACKGROUND: Continuous enteral nutrition (CEN) remains standard practice in intensive care units (ICUs) worldwide. Intermittent enteral nutrition (IEN) may be a suitable alternative method. This meta-analysis aims to investigate the safety, tolerance, and effectiveness of IEN compared with that of CEN in critically ill adults in the ICU. METHODS: MEDLINE, CINAHL, Scopus, Embase, and Google Scholar were searched for studies published up until April 30, 2020, along with manual searches in bibliographies. Eligible studies were trials that compared CEN with IEN feeding in the ICU and reported on at least one of the relevant outcomes (nutrition intake, gastric residual volume [GRV], aspiration pneumonia, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal distension, and glycemic variability). Secondary outcomes were ICU length of stay (LOS) and mortality. The Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomized trials was used to assess methodological quality. RESULTS: Ten studies with 664 participants were included in the meta-analysis. Most studies had an overall "high" risk of bias. Incidence of vomiting was significantly higher in CEN than in IEN groups (risk ratio, 2.76; 95% CI, 1.23-6.23). There were no significant differences between CEN and IEN groups for nutrition intake, GRV, incidence of aspiration pneumonia, diarrhea, abdominal distension, ICU LOS, and mortality. Definition and reporting of outcome measures were not standardized across studies; hence, this heterogeneity limits the generalizability of results. CONCLUSION: Overall, the safety, tolerance, and effectiveness of CEN and IEN were found to be comparable. Future studies should explore monitoring larger sample sizes to determine best feeding practices in the ICU.

Adipose tissue imaging as nutritional predictors in patients undergoing enterocutaneous fistula repair.

OBJECTIVES: The management of enterocutaneous fistulae (ECF) is complex, challenging, and often associated with metabolic, septic, and nutritional complications. Radiographic quantification of body composition such as fat or lean body mass distribution is a potentially valuable preoperative assessment tool to optimize nutritional status. The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between total adipose tissue (fat) area (TFA), assessed by computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging radiology tests, with body weight, body mass index (BMI), various biochemical parameters, need for nutritional support, and survival in patients undergoing ECF repair. METHODS: Biochemical and anthropometric parameters at the time of ECF surgery were retrospectively collected for adult patients undergoing ECF repair at University College London Hospital, UK. Visceral and subcutaneous adiposity was measured at the level of the third lumbar vertebra (Image J) at computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging. Statistical analysis included descriptives, univariate and multivariate analysis between TFA and various parameters, and their influence on postoperative survival. RESULTS: A complete set of data was available for 85 patients (51 women, 56.9 ± 14.5 y of age) who underwent ECF repair. ECF originated mainly as a surgical complication (86%) while 14% were undergoing a second ECF repair. Median BMI was 22.8 kg/m2 and mean TFA was 361 ± 174.9 cm2, with a higher visceral fat content in men than in women (183.8 ± 99.2 versus 99 ± 59.7 cm2, P < 0.001). BMI, body weight, and creatinine were significantly positively correlated with TFA (ρ = 0.77, 0.73, and 0.50, respectively, P < 0.001); no correlation was noted between TFA and preoperative albumin levels. Patients in the low TFA group had a higher use of parenteral nutrition (P = 0.049). Hospital length of stay was longer in patients receiving artificial nutrition support (70 versus 22 d, P < 0.001). A TFA cutoff point of 290 cm2 discriminated patients who required artificial nutrition versus no nutritional support with moderate sensitivity (75%) but poor specificity (45%). At multivariate analysis, only >60 y of age (hazard ratio [HR], 2.69, P < 0.02) and use of parenteral nutrition (HR, 3.90, P < 0.02) were associated with worse overall survival. CONCLUSION: Abdominal adiposity was strongly correlated with anthropometric parameters at the time of surgery. Earlier identification of patients requiring artificial nutrition at standard preoperative imaging might allow integration of nutritional optimization into initial clinical management plans reducing length of stay and improving clinical outcomes.