Postoperative arginine-enriched immune modulating nutrition: Long-term survival results from a randomised clinical trial in patients with oesophagogastric and pancreaticobiliary cancer.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Immune modulating nutrition (IMN) has been shown to reduce postoperative infectious complications and length of stay in patients with gastrointestinal cancer. Two studies of IMN in patients undergoing surgery for head and neck cancer also suggested that this treatment might improve long-term survival and progression-free survival. In the present study, we analysed follow-up data from our previous randomised controlled trial of IMN, in patients undergoing surgery for oesophagogastric and pancreaticobiliary cancer, in order to evaluate the long-term impact on survival of postoperative IMN versus an isocaloric, isonitrogenous control feed. METHODS: This study included patients undergoing surgery for cancers of the pancreas, oesophagus and stomach, who had been randomised in a double-blind manner to receive postoperative jejunostomy feeding with IMN (Stresson, Nutricia Ltd.) or an isonitrogenous, isocaloric feed (Nutrison High Protein, Nutricia) for 10-15 days. The primary outcome was long-term overall survival. RESULTS: There was complete follow-up for all 108 patients, with 54 patients randomised to each group. There were no statistically significant differences between groups by demographics [(age, p = 0.63), sex (p = 0.49) or site of cancer (p = 0.25)]. 30-day mortality was 11.1% in both groups. Mortality in the intervention group was 13%, 31.5%, 70.4%, 85.2%, 88.9%, and 96.3% at 90 days, and 1, 5, 10, 15 and 20 years respectively. Corresponding mortality in the control group was 14.8%, 35.2%, 68.6%, 79.6%, 85.2% and 98.1% (p > 0.05 for all comparisons). CONCLUSION: Early postoperative feeding with arginine-enriched IMN had no impact on long-term survival in patients undergoing surgery for oesophagogastric and pancreaticobiliary cancer.

Energy Achievement Rate Is an Independent Factor Associated with Intensive Care Unit Mortality in High-Nutritional-Risk Patients with Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Requiring Prolonged Prone Positioning Therapy.

Early enteral nutrition (EN) and a nutrition target >60% are recommended for patients in the intensive care unit (ICU), even for those with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Prolonged prone positioning (PP) therapy (>48 h) is the rescue therapy of ARDS, but it may worsen the feeding status because it requires the heavy sedation and total paralysis of patients. Our previous studies demonstrated that energy achievement rate (EAR) >65% was a good prognostic factor in ICU. However, its impact on the mortality of patients with ARDS requiring prolonged PP therapy remains unclear. We retrospectively analyzed 79 patients with high nutritional risk (modified nutrition risk in the critically ill; mNUTRIC score ≥5); and identified factors associated with ICU mortality by using a Cox regression model. Through univariate analysis, mNUTRIC score, comorbid with malignancy, actual energy intake, and EAR (%) were associated with ICU mortality. By multivariate analysis, EAR (%) was a strong predictive factor of ICU mortality (HR: 0.19, 95% CI: 0.07-0.56). EAR >65% was associated with lower 14-day, 28-day, and ICU mortality after adjustment for confounding factors. We suggest early EN and increase EAR >65% may benefit patients with ARDS who required prolonged PP therapy.

Effect of Supplemental Parenteral Nutrition Versus Enteral Nutrition Alone on Clinical Outcomes in Critically Ill Adult Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Enteral nutrition (EN) is considered the first feeding route for critically ill patients. However, adverse effects such as gastrointestinal complications limit its optimal provision, leading to inadequate energy and protein intake. We compared the clinical outcomes of supplemental parenteral nutrition added to EN (SPN + EN) and EN alone in critically ill adults. Electronic databases restricted to full-text randomized controlled trials available in the English language and published from January 1990 to January 2019 were searched. The risk of bias was evaluated using the Jadad scale, and the meta-analysis was conducted using the MedCalc software. A total of five studies were eligible for inclusion in the systematic review and meta-analysis. Compared to EN alone, SPN + EN decreased the risk of nosocomial infections (relative risk (RR) = 0.733, p = 0.032) and intensive care unit (ICU) mortality (RR = 0.569, p = 0.030). No significant differences were observed between SPN + EN and EN in the length of hospital stay, hospital mortality, length of ICU stay, and duration of mechanical ventilation. In conclusion, when enteral feeding fails to fulfill the energy requirements in critically ill adult patients, SPN may be beneficial as it helps in decreasing nosocomial infections and ICU mortality, in addition to increasing energy and protein intakes with no negative effects on other clinical outcomes.

A prospective observation on nutrition support in adult patients with severe burns.

Nutrition therapy is considered an important treatment of burn patients. The aim of the study was to delineate the nutritional support in severe burn patients and to investigate association between nutritional practice and clinical outcomes. Severe burn patients were enrolled (n 100). In 90 % of the cases, the burn injury covered above 70 % of the total body surface area. Mean interval from injury to nutrition start was 2·4 (sd 1·1) d. Sixty-seven patients were initiated with enteral nutrition (EN) with a median time of 1 d from injury to first feed. Twenty-two patients began with parenteral nutrition (PN). During the study, thirty-two patients developed EN intolerance. Patients received an average of about 70 % of prescribed energy and protein. Patients with EN providing <30 % energy had significantly higher 28- d and in-hospital mortality than patients with EN providing more than 30 % of energy. Mortality at 28 d was 11 % and in-hospital mortality was 45 %. Multiple regression analysis demonstrated that EN providing <30 % energy and septic shock were independent risk factors for 28- d prognosis. EN could be initiated early in severe burn patients. Majority patients needed PN supplementation for energy requirement and EN feeding intolerance. Post-pyloric feeding is more efficient than gastric feeding in EN tolerance and energy supplement. It is difficult for severe burn patients to obtain enough feeding, especially in the early stage of the disease. More than 2 weeks of underfeeding is harmful to recovery.

Current evidence on ω-3 fatty acids in enteral nutrition in the critically ill: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Fish oil exerts anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties that may be beneficial for critically ill patients, thus multiple randomized controlled trials and meta-analyses have been performed. However, controversy remains as to whether fish oil-enriched enteral nutrition can improve clinical outcomes in adult critically ill patients in intensive care units (ICUs). The aim of this study was to provide an up-to-date systematic review and meta-analysis of all randomized controlled trials of fish oil-containing enteral nutrition addressing relevant clinical outcomes in critically ill patients. A systematic literature search was conducted. The primary outcome was 28-d mortality. Secondary outcomes were ICU and hospital mortality, ICU and hospital length of stay (LOS), ventilation duration, and infectious complications. Predefined subgroup and sensitivity analyses were performed. Twenty-four trials, enrolling 3574 patients, met the inclusion criteria. The assessment of risk for bias showed that most of included studies were of moderate quality. The overall results revealed no significant effects of enteral fish oil supplementation on 28-d, ICU or hospital mortality. However, ICU LOS and ventilation duration were significantly reduced in patients receiving fish oil supplementation. Furthermore, subgroup analysis revealed a significant reduction in 28-d mortality, ICU LOS, and ventilation duration in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome but not in other subgroups. When comparing high- and low-quality trials, significant reductions in 28-d mortality and ventilation duration in low-quality trials only were observed. Regarding ICU LOS a significant reduction was observed in high-quality trials; whereas only a trend was observed in low-quality trials. No significant effects on hospital LOS or infectious complications were observed in overall or subgroup analyses. Enteral fish oil supplementation cannot be recommended for critically ill patients, as strong scientific evidence for improved clinical benefits was not found. There is a signal of mortality benefit in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome; however, results are based on low-quality studies. Further research should focus on the relation between the individual critically ill patients' immune response, the administration of fish oil, and clinical outcomes.

Nutritional optimization during neoadjuvant therapy prior to surgical resection of esophageal cancer-a narrative review.

This narrative review aims to evaluate the evidence for the different nutritional approaches employed during neoadjuvant therapy in patients with locoregional esophageal cancer. Patients with esophageal cancer are often malnourished and difficult to optimize nutritionally. While evidence suggests that neoadjuvant therapy can offer a survival advantage, associated toxicity can exacerbate poor nutritional status. There is currently no accepted standard of care regarding optimal nutritional approach. A systematic literature search was undertaken. Studies describing the utilization of an additional nutritional intervention in patients with esophageal cancer receiving neoadjuvant therapy prior to esophagectomy were included. Primary outcome measure was 30-day postoperative mortality after esophagectomy. Secondary outcome measures were loss of weight during neoadjuvant therapy, completion rate of intended neoadjuvant therapy, complications from nutritional intervention, 30-day postoperative morbidity after esophagectomy and quality of life during neoadjuvant treatment. Given the heterogeneity of retrieved articles results was presented as a narrative review. Twenty-five studies were included of which 16 evaluated esophageal stenting, four feeding jejunostomy, three gastrostomy, one nasogastric feeding, and one comparative study of esophageal stenting to feeding jejunostomy. 30-day postoperative mortality was only reported in two of the 26 included studies limiting comparison between nutritional strategies. All studies of esophageal stents reported improvements in dysphagia with reported weight change ranging from -5.4 to +6 kg and one study reported 30-day postoperative mortality after esophagectomy (10%). In patients undergoing esophageal stenting for their neoadjuvant treatment overall migration rate was 29.9%. Studies of laparoscopically inserted jejunostomy were all retrospective reviews that demonstrated an increase in weight ranging from 0.4 to 11.8 kg and similarly no study reported 30-day postoperative mortality. Only one comparative study was included that compared esophageal stents to jejunostomy. This study reported no significant difference between the two groups in respect to complication rates (stents 22% vs. jejunostomy 4%, P = 0.11) or increase in weight (stents 4.4 kg vs. jejunostomy 4.2 kg, P = 0.59). Quality of life was also poorly reported. This review demonstrates the uncertainty on the optimal nutritional approach for patients with resectable esophageal cancer undergoing neoadjuvant treatment prior to esophagectomy. A prospective, multicenter, observational cohort study is needed to determine current practice and inform a prospective clinical trial.

Economic analysis of costs with enteral and parenteral nutritional therapy according to disease and outcome.

OBJECTIVE: To conduct an economic analysis of enteral and parenteral diet costs according to the type of disease and outcome (survivors versus deaths). METHODS: It is a cross-sectional, observational, retrospective study with a qualitative and quantitative design, based on analysis of hospital accounts from a healthcare insurance provider in the Southern region of Brazil. RESULTS: We analyzed 301 hospital accounts of individuals who used enteral and parenteral diets. The total cost of the diet was 35.4% of hospital account total costs. The enteral modality accounted for 59.8% of total dietary costs. The major costs with diets were observed in hospitalizations related to infections, cancers and cerebro-cardiovascular diseases. The major costs with parenteral diet were with admissions related by cancers (64.52%) and dementia syndromes (46.17%). The highest ratio between total diet costs with the total of hospital account costs was in dementia syndromes (46.32%) and in cancers (41.2%). The individuals who died spent 51.26% of total of hospital account costs, being 32.81% in diet (47.45% of total diet value and 58.81% in parenteral modality). CONCLUSION: Enteral and parenteral nutritional therapies account for a significant part of the costs with hospitalized individuals, especially in cases of cancers and dementia syndromes. The costs of parenteral diets were higher in the group of patients who died. OBJETIVO: Realizar uma análise econômica de custos da terapia nutricional enteral e parenteral, conforme o tipo de doença e o desfecho (sobreviventes versus óbitos). MÉTODOS: Estudo transversal, observacional, retrospectivo, com estratégia qualitativa e quantitativa, a partir da análise de contas hospitalares de uma operadora de saúde da Região Sul do Brasil. RESULTADOS: Foram analisadas 301 contas hospitalares de usuários que utilizaram dieta enteral e parenteral. O custo total com dieta foi de 35,4% do custo total das contas hospitalares. A modalidade enteral representou 59,8% do custo total em dieta. Os maiores custos com dieta foram observados em internações relacionadas a infecções, cânceres e doenças cérebro-cardiovasculares. Os maiores custos com dieta parenteral foram observados nas internações relacionadas aos cânceres (64,52%) e às síndromes demenciais (46,17%). A maior relação entre o custo total com dieta e o custo total da conta foi na síndrome demencial (46,32%) e no câncer (41,2%). Os usuários que foram a óbito consumiram 51,26% dos custos totais das contas, sendo 32,81% com dieta (47,45% do valor total com dieta e 58,81% do custo na modalidade parenteral). CONCLUSÃO: As terapias nutricionais enteral e parenteral representaram uma parte importante dos custos no tratamento de indivíduos hospitalizados, principalmente nos casos dos cânceres e nas síndromes demenciais. O custo com dieta parenteral foi maior no grupo de usuários que foram a óbito.

Economic analysis of costs with enteral and parenteral nutritional therapy according to disease and outcome / Análise econômica dos custos com terapia nutricional enteral e parenteral conforme doença e desfecho

ABSTRACT Objective To conduct an economic analysis of enteral and parenteral diet costs according to the type of disease and outcome (survivors versus deaths). Methods It is a cross-sectional, observational, retrospective study with a qualitative and quantitative design, based on analysis of hospital accounts from a healthcare insurance provider in the Southern region of Brazil. Results We analyzed 301 hospital accounts of individuals who used enteral and parenteral diets. The total cost of the diet was 35.4% of hospital account total costs. The enteral modality accounted for 59.8% of total dietary costs. The major costs with diets were observed in hospitalizations related to infections, cancers and cerebro-cardiovascular diseases. The major costs with parenteral diet were with admissions related by cancers (64.52%) and dementia syndromes (46.17%). The highest ratio between total diet costs with the total of hospital account costs was in dementia syndromes (46.32%) and in cancers (41.2%). The individuals who died spent 51.26% of total of hospital account costs, being 32.81% in diet (47.45% of total diet value and 58.81% in parenteral modality). Conclusion Enteral and parenteral nutritional therapies account for a significant part of the costs with hospitalized individuals, especially in cases of cancers and dementia syndromes. The costs of parenteral diets were higher in the group of patients who died.

RESUMO Objetivo Realizar uma análise econômica de custos da terapia nutricional enteral e parenteral, conforme o tipo de doença e o desfecho (sobreviventes versus óbitos). Métodos Estudo transversal, observacional, retrospectivo, com estratégia qualitativa e quantitativa, a partir da análise de contas hospitalares de uma operadora de saúde da Região Sul do Brasil. Resultados Foram analisadas 301 contas hospitalares de usuários que utilizaram dieta enteral e parenteral. O custo total com dieta foi de 35,4% do custo total das contas hospitalares. A modalidade enteral representou 59,8% do custo total em dieta. Os maiores custos com dieta foram observados em internações relacionadas a infecções, cânceres e doenças cérebro-cardiovasculares. Os maiores custos com dieta parenteral foram observados nas internações relacionadas aos cânceres (64,52%) e às síndromes demenciais (46,17%). A maior relação entre o custo total com dieta e o custo total da conta foi na síndrome demencial (46,32%) e no câncer (41,2%). Os usuários que foram a óbito consumiram 51,26% dos custos totais das contas, sendo 32,81% com dieta (47,45% do valor total com dieta e 58,81% do custo na modalidade parenteral). Conclusão As terapias nutricionais enteral e parenteral representaram uma parte importante dos custos no tratamento de indivíduos hospitalizados, principalmente nos casos dos cânceres e nas síndromes demenciais. O custo com dieta parenteral foi maior no grupo de usuários que foram a óbito.

Intensive Enteral Nutrition Is Ineffective for Patients With Severe Alcoholic Hepatitis Treated With Corticosteroids.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Severe alcoholic hepatitis (AH) is a life-threatening disease for which adequate oral nutritional support is recommended. We performed a randomized controlled trial to determine whether the combination of corticosteroid and intensive enteral nutrition therapy is more effective than corticosteroid therapy alone in patients with severe AH. METHODS: We enrolled 136 heavy consumers of alcohol (age, 18-75 y) with recent onset of jaundice and biopsy-proven severe AH in our study, performed at 18 hospitals in Belgium and 2 in France, from February 2010 through February 2013. Subjects were assigned randomly (1:1) to groups that received either intensive enteral nutrition plus methylprednisolone or conventional nutrition plus methylprednisolone (controls). In the intensive enteral nutrition group, enteral nutrition was given via feeding tube for 14 days. The primary end point was patient survival for 6 months. RESULTS: In an intention-to-treat analysis, we found no significant difference between groups in 6-month cumulative mortality: 44.4% of patients died in the intensive enteral nutrition group (95% confidence interval [CI], 32.2%-55.9%) and 52.1% of controls died (95% CI, 39.4%-63.4%) (P = .406). The enteral feeding tube was withdrawn prematurely from 48.5% of patients, and serious adverse events considered to be related to enteral nutrition occurred in 5 patients. Regardless of group, a greater proportion of patients with a daily calorie intake less than 21.5 kcal/kg/day died (65.8%; 95% CI, 48.8-78.4) than patients with a higher intake of calories (33.1%; 95% CI, 23.1%-43.4%) (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: In a randomized trial of patients with severe AH treated with corticosteroids, we found that intensive enteral nutrition was difficult to implement and did not increase survival. However, low daily energy intake was associated with greater mortality, so adequate nutritional intake should be a main goal for treatment. ClinicalTrials.gov number: NCT01801332.

Outcomes of systematic nutritional assessment and medical nutrition therapy in pancreatic cancer.

OBJECTIVES: We investigated the nutritional and survival outcomes of medical nutrition therapy by a registered dietitian, along with support from a dedicated nutrition and metabolic support team in pancreatic cancer patients requiring enteral or parenteral nutrition. METHODS: Subjective global assessment (SGA) was used to assess nutritional status in 304 pancreatic cancer patients. Using baseline and last SGA, patients were categorized into 3 groups: improved SGA, deteriorated SGA, and unchanged SGA. Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression were used to calculate survival after controlling for relevant confounders. RESULTS: One-hundred twenty-five (41.1%) patients had their SGA unchanged, 87 (28.6%) patients had "improved SGA," whereas 92 (30.3%) patients had "deteriorated SGA." On univariate survival analysis, the median survival was 7.8, 11.2, and 12.6 months for deteriorated, unchanged, and improved SGA groups, respectively. On multivariate analysis, change in SGA was independently predictive of survival. Patients with deteriorated SGA had 1.5 times (95% confidence interval, 1.1-2.1) greater risk of mortality compared to those with improved SGA. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of pancreatic cancer patients (70%) in our study either maintained or improved their nutritional status during cancer treatment. Improvement in SGA correlated with a significantly decreased risk of mortality independent of sex, previous treatment history, and evidence of biological anticancer activity.

Enteral nutrition formulations for acute pancreatitis.

BACKGROUND: Acute pancreatitis is a common and potentially lethal disease with increasing incidence. Severe cases are characterised by high mortality, and despite improvements in intensive care management, no specific treatment relevantly improves clinical outcomes of the disease. Meta-analyses suggest that enteral nutrition is more effective than conventional treatment consisting of discontinuation of oral intake with use of total parenteral nutrition. However, no systematic review has compared different enteral nutrition formulations for the treatment of patients with acute pancreatitis. OBJECTIVES: To assess the beneficial and harmful effects of different enteral nutrition formulations in patients with acute pancreatitis. SEARCH METHODS: We searched the Cochrane Upper Gastrointestinal and Pancreatic Diseases Group Specialised Register of Clinical Trials, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (2013, Issue 7), MEDLINE (from inception to 20 August 2013), EMBASE (from inception to 2013, week 33) and Science Citation Index-Expanded (from 1990 to August 2013); we conducted full-text searches and applied no restrictions by language or publication status. SELECTION CRITERIA: We considered randomised clinical trials assessing enteral nutrition in patients with acute pancreatitis. We allowed concomitant interventions if they were received equally by all treatment groups within a trial. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two review authors independently assessed trials for inclusion and extracted data. We performed the analysis using Review Manager 5 (Review Manager 2013) and both fixed-effect and random-effects models. We expressed results as risk ratios (RRs) for dichotomous data, and as mean differences (MDs) for continuous data, both with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Analysis was based on an intention-to-treat principle. MAIN RESULTS: We included 15 trials (1376 participants) in this review. We downgraded the quality of evidence for many of our outcomes on the basis of high risk of bias. Low-quality evidence suggests that immunonutrition decreases all-cause mortality (RR 0.49, 95% CI 0.29 to 0.80). The effect of immunonutrition on other outcomes from a subset of the included trials was uncertain. Subgrouping trials by type of enteral nutrition did not explain any variation in effect. We found mainly very low-quality evidence for the effects of probiotics on the main outcomes. One eligible trial in this comparison reported a higher rate of serious adverse events leading to increased organ failure and mortality due to low numbers of events and low risk of bias. When we excluded this study as a post hoc sensitivity analysis, risks of mortality (RR 0.30, 95% CI 0.10 to 0.84), organ failure (RR 0.74, 95% CI 0.59 to 0.92) and local septic complications (RR 0.40, 95% CI 0.22 to 0.72) were lower with probiotics. In one trial assessing immunonutrition with probiotics and fibres, no deaths occurred, but hospital stay was shorter with immunonutrition (MD -5.20 days, 95% CI -8.73 to -1.67). No deaths were reported following semi-elemental enteral nutrition (EN), and the effect on length of hospital stay was small (MD 0.30 days, 95% CI -0.82 to 1.42). Fibre-enriched formulations reduced the number of other local complications (RR 0.52, 95% CI 0.32 to 0.87) and length of hospital stay (MD -9.28 days, 95% CI -13.21 to -5.35) but did not significantly affect all-cause mortality (RR 0.23, 95% CI 0.03 to 1.84) and other outcomes. Very low-quality evidence from the subgroup of trials comparing EN versus no intervention showed a decrease in all-cause mortality with EN (RR 0.50, 95% CI 0.29 to 0.86). AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: We found evidence of low or very low quality for the effects of immunonutrition on efficacy and safety outcomes. The role of supplementation of enteral nutrition with potential immunomodulatory agents remains in question, and further research is required in this area. Studies assessing probiotics yielded inconsistent and almost contrary results, especially regarding safety and adverse events, and their findings do not support the routine use of EN enriched with probiotics in routine clinical practice. However, further research should be carried out to try to determine the potential efficacy or harms of probiotics. Lack of trials reporting on other types of EN assessed and lack of firm evidence regarding their effects suggest that additional randomised clinical trials are needed. The quality of evidence for the effects of any kind of EN on mortality was low, and further studies are likely to have an impact on the finding of improved survival with EN versus no nutritional support. Evidence remains insufficient to support the use of a specific EN formulation.

Outcomes of percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy among older adults in a community setting.

OBJECTIVE: Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) has become the preferred method to provide enteral tube feeding to older adults who have difficulty eating, but the impact of PEG on patient outcomes is poorly understood. The objective of this study was to describe changes in nutrition, functional status, and health-related quality of life among older adults receiving PEG. DESIGN: A prospective cohort study. SETTING: A small community of approximately 60,000 residents served by two hospital systems. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred fifty patients aged 60 and older receiving PEG from one of the four gastroenterologists practicing in the targeted community. MEASUREMENTS: Patients were assessed at baseline and every 2 months for 1 year to obtain clinical characteristics, process of care data, physical and cognitive function, subjective health status, nutritional status, complications, and mortality. RESULTS: Over a 14-month period, 150 patients received PEG tubes in the targeted community; the mean age was 78.9. The most frequent indications for the PEG were stroke (40.7%), neurodegenerative disorders (34.7%), and cancer (13.3%). All measures of functional status, cognitive status, severity of illness, comorbidity, and quality of life demonstrated profound and life-threatening impairment; 30-day mortality was 22% and 1-year mortality was 50%. Among patients surviving 60 days or more, at least 70% had no significant improvement in functional, nutritional, or subjective health status. Serious complications were rare, but most patients experienced symptomatic problems that they attributed to the enteral tube feeding. CONCLUSIONS: PEG tube feeding in severely and chronically ill older adults can be accomplished safely. However, there are important patient burdens associated with the PEG and there was limited evidence that the procedure improves functional, nutritional, or subjective health status in this cohort of older adults. The issues raised in this descriptive study provide impetus for a randomized trial of PEG tube feeding compared with alternative methods of patient care for older adults with difficulty eating.