High-protein enteral nutrition enriched with immune-modulating nutrients vs standard high-protein enteral nutrition and nosocomial infections in the ICU: a randomized clinical trial.

IMPORTANCE: Enteral administration of immune-modulating nutrients (eg, glutamine, omega-3 fatty acids, selenium, and antioxidants) has been suggested to reduce infections and improve recovery from critical illness. However, controversy exists on the use of immune-modulating enteral nutrition, reflected by lack of consensus in guidelines. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether high-protein enteral nutrition enriched with immune-modulating nutrients (IMHP) reduces the incidence of infections compared with standard high-protein enteral nutrition (HP) in mechanically ventilated critically ill patients. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: The MetaPlus study, a randomized, double-blind, multicenter trial, was conducted from February 2010 through April 2012 including a 6-month follow-up period in 14 intensive care units (ICUs) in the Netherlands, Germany, France, and Belgium. A total of 301 adult patients who were expected to be ventilated for more than 72 hours and to require enteral nutrition for more than 72 hours were randomized to the IMHP (n = 152) or HP (n = 149) group and included in an intention-to-treat analysis, performed for the total population as well as predefined medical, surgical, and trauma subpopulations. INTERVENTIONS: High-protein enteral nutrition enriched with immune-modulating nutrients vs standard high-protein enteral nutrition, initiated within 48 hours of ICU admission and continued during the ICU stay for a maximum of 28 days. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The primary outcome measure was incidence of new infections according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) definitions. Secondary end points included mortality, Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) scores, mechanical ventilation duration, ICU and hospital lengths of stay, and subtypes of infections according CDC definitions. RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences in incidence of new infections between the groups: 53% (95% CI, 44%-61%) in the IMHP group vs 52% (95% CI, 44%-61%) in the HP group (P = .96). No statistically significant differences were observed in other end points, except for a higher 6-month mortality rate in the medical subgroup: 54% (95% CI, 40%-67%) in the IMHP group vs 35% (95% CI, 22%-49%) in the HP group (P = .04), with a hazard ratio of 1.57 (95% CI, 1.03-2.39; P = .04) for 6-month mortality adjusted for age and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score comparing the groups. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Among adult patients breathing with the aid of mechanical ventilation in the ICU, IMHP compared with HP did not improve infectious complications or other clinical end points and may be harmful as suggested by increased adjusted mortality at 6 months. These findings do not support the use of IMHP nutrients in these patients. TRIAL REGISTRATION: trialregister.nl Identifier: NTR2181.

Increasing plasma glutamine in postoperative patients fed an arginine-rich immune-enhancing diet--a pharmacokinetic randomized controlled study.

OBJECTIVE: Immune-enhancing diets (IEDs) rich in arginine (ARG) reduce morbi-mortality in trauma and surgical patients. Among the pharmaconutrients inducing these effects, ARG may be involved by generating active metabolites such as glutamine (GLN). However, the ability of an ARG-enriched diet to normalize GLN plasma levels in intensive care unit (ICU) patients has never been documented. To analyze plasma GLN and related amino acid (AA) kinetics in response to an ARG-enriched IED in ICU surgical patients. DESIGN: This prospective, randomized, single-blind, comparative study was performed on 22 patients randomized to receive total enteral nutrition for 7 days with either an ARG-enriched IED or a standard formula (rendered isonitrogenous to the IED, S group, n = 11), providing 30 kcal/kg/day and 0.3 g N/kg/day. MEASUREMENTS: Plasma AA concentrations were measured on day 5 after a 3-hour washout period (basal values = T0) and after 30, 60, 90, 120, 180, and 360 minutes of enteral nutrition. The primary end point was the variation in plasma GLN from T0 to T90. RESULTS: Only the IED-fed patients showed an increase in plasma levels of GLN (differences [T90 - T0]: +40 +/- 6 vs. -35 +/- 18 micromol/L, mean +/- sem, p < 0.05, two-way analysis of variance), ARG (+35 +/- 5 vs.+1 +/- 4 micromol/L, p < 0.05), ornithine (+23 +/- 6 vs. -2 +/- 2 micromol/L, p < 0.05), and proline (+36 +/- 10 vs. -6 +/- 11 micromol/L, p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this is the first reported pharmacokinetic study on an IED even though these products have been on the market for 20 years. Our main result is that administering an ARG-enriched IED causes a significant increase in plasma GLN probably from de novo GLN synthesis from ARG. This suggests that the ARG present in IED can serve to supply GLN to ICU patients, who are usually depleted in this conditionally essential AA during injury.

Micronutrients Deficiencies in 374 Severely Malnourished Anorexia Nervosa Inpatients.

INTRODUCTION: Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a complex psychiatric disorder, which can lead to specific somatic complications. Undernutrition is a major diagnostic criteria of AN and it can be associated with several micronutrients deficiencies. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to determinate the prevalence of micronutrients deficiencies and to compare the differences between the two subtypes of AN (restricting type (AN-R) and binge-eating/purging type (AN-BP)). METHODS: We report a large retrospective, monocentric study of patients that were hospitalized in a highly specialized AN inpatient unit between January 2011 and August 2017 for severe malnutrition treatment in the context of anorexia nervosa. RESULTS: Three hundred and seventy-four patients were included, at inclusion, with a mean Body Mass Index (BMI) of 12.5 ± 1.7 kg/m². Zinc had the highest deficiency prevalence 64.3%, followed by vitamin D (54.2%), copper (37.1%), selenium (20.5%), vitamin B1 (15%), vitamin B12 (4.7%), and vitamin B9 (8.9%). Patients with AN-BP type had longer disease duration history, were older, and had a lower left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) (p < 0.001, p = 0.029, p = 0.009) when compared with AN-R type patients who, instead, had significantly higher Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT) and Brain Natriuretic Peptide (BNP) levels (p < 0.001, p < 0.021). In the AN-BP subgroup, as compared to AN-R, lower selenium (p < 0.001) and vitamin B12 plasma concentration (p < 0.036) was observed, whereas lower copper plasma concentration was observed in patients with AN-R type (p < 0.022). No significant differences were observed for zinc, vitamin B9, vitamin D, and vitamin B1 concentrations between the two types of AN patients. CONCLUSION: Severely malnourished AN patients have many micronutrient deficiencies. Micronutrients status must be monitored and supplemented to prevent deficiency related complications and to improve nutritional status. Prospective studies are needed to explore the symptoms and consequences of each deficiency, which can aggravate the prognosis during recovery.

Detection and treatment of antibiotic-resistant bacterial carriage in a surgical intensive care unit: a 6-year prospective survey.

OBJECTIVE: To describe, during a 6-year period, multidrug-resistant bacterial carriage in an intensive care unit (ICU). DESIGN: Prospective survey of 2235 ICU patients with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBL-E). SETTING: A surgical ICU in a tertiary-care teaching hospital. PATIENTS: All admitted patients. INTERVENTIONS: Nasal and rectal swabs were performed at admission and weekly thereafter. There was nasal application of mupirocin for MRSA carriers and selective digestive decontamination with local antibiotics for ESBL-E carriers. RESULTS: The swab compliance rate was 82% at admission and 51% during ICU stay. The rates of MRSA carriage or infection were 4.2 new cases per 100 admissions and 7.9 cases per 1000 patient-days during ICU stay. The rates of ESBL-E carriage or infection were 0.4 new case per 100 admissions and 3.9 cases per 1000 patient-days during ICU stay. Importation of MRSA increased significantly over time from 3.2 new cases per 100 admissions during the first 3 years to 5.5 during the last 3 years. The rate of ICU-acquired ESBLE decreased from 5.5 cases per 1000 patient-days during the first 3 years to 1.9 cases during the last 3 years. Nasal and digestive decontamination had low efficacy in eradicating carriage. CONCLUSIONS: MRSA remained poorly controlled throughout the hospital and was not just a problem in the ICU. MRSA thus requires more effective measures throughout the hospital. ESBL-E was mainly an ICU pathogen and our approach resulted in a clear decrease in the rate of acquisition in the ICU over time.

[Physiopathology and consequences of malnutrition]. / Mécanismes et conséquences de la dénutrition.

The organism may survive to few weeks starvation. During acute illnesses, stores are rapidly consumed. Consequences of malnutrition are multiple, the most relevant being immunodeficiency and therefore infection risk. Prevalence of malnutrition is high during chronic diseases, cancer, disease of the nervous system and in acutely ill situations. In French hospitals, as in the world, this prevalence is observed in 20 to 60%; it is more than 50% in elderly population. Malnutrition increases morbidity, mortality, decreases quality of life and has therefore a high economical impact.

Clinical and economic impact of malnutrition per se on the postoperative course of colorectal cancer patients.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: To assess the medico-economic impact of malnutrition in patients who underwent surgery for colorectal cancer. METHODS: We performed post-hoc analyses of data from the Alves et al. prospective study. Using standard criteria of malnutrition, 2 groups were created a posteriori: Well-nourished (WN) and Mal-nourished (MN) patients. The 2 groups were statistically adjusted for age, cancer status, and scheduled surgery. Individual costs were valued using the French National Cost Study. Postoperative morbidity, mortality, hospital length-of-stay (LOS), and discharge setting were compared. We defined 3 scenarios, the most accurate estimate and its upper and lower limits, to assess the economic impact of malnutrition. RESULTS: 453 patients were included in the analyses. Complication and mortality rates were not significantly different between the 2 groups. MN patients had a mean LOS 3.41 days significantly longer than WN patients (p = 0.017). In MN patients, the cost of hospital stay was increased by around 3360 €, creating an annual impact of 10,159,436 € for French non-profit hospitals. CONCLUSIONS: Malnutrition in colorectal cancer surgical patients is associated with an increased LOS resulting in significant budget impact. Further studies are needed to investigate this impact and the related cost-benefit of perioperative specialized nutritional support and implementation of the ERAS protocol in this homogeneous category of patients.