Foods for Special Medical Purposes in Home Enteral Nutrition-Clinical Practice Experience. Multicenter Study.

Background: Enteral nutrition (EN) with foods for special medical purposes (FSMP) is recommended for most patients on home enteral nutrition (HEN). Although there are disease-specific guidelines for energy, protein, and micronutrient provision, only a few studies are showing real-life experience in the long-term use of FSMP. Methods: In a multicenter study, the influence of the FSMP composition and administration technique (bolus vs. continuous) on protein and energy provision in HEN was analyzed. Provision of vitamins and minerals was compared to recommended daily allowance (RDA) and upper tolerable limit (UL). Results: Approximately, 772 patients on HEN, mostly (88.6%) with oncological and neurological diseases, were enrolled. The patients on standard FSMP received less protein and energy than those on hypercaloric and protein enriched despite receiving higher volumes of EN (p < 0.05). No differences were observed in jejunal feeding with oligomeric vs. polymeric FSMP in terms of energy, protein, and volume. Continuous gastric feeding provided more protein, energy, and volume vs. bolus feeding (p < 0.05). Significant number of patients received less than 100% RDA of vitamin D (50.5%), vitamin B3 (49%), vitamin K (21.8%), vitamin B5 (64.3%), vitamin B9 (60%). Majority of the patients received less than 100% RDA of sodium (80.2%), potassium (99%), chloride (98%), calcium (67%), magnesium (87%), fluoride (99%), and iodine (43%). Approximately, 43.63% of cancer and 49.9% of neurological patients received less than 1 g/kg/day of protein and 51.7% of cancer and 55.5% of neurological patients received less than 25 kcal/kg/day. Conclusion: Awareness of the available compositions of FSMP and advantageous profiles of specific diets may lead to the implementation of recommendations for EN. HEN professionals need to analyze all the patient's needs and requirements to provide more tailored matching of nutritional support.

Organizational issues of home parenteral nutrition during COVID-19 pandemic: Results from multicenter, nationwide study.

OBJECTIVES: Patients on home parenteral nutrition (HPN) are prone to severe complications of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. The pandemic requires adaptation of the health care standards, including epidemiologic surveillance, logistics of home supply, and monitoring. Potential lack of medical professionals may worsen the standard of care. The aim of this study was to evaluate the medical staff resources in HPN units. RESULTS: The study was conducted by major Polish scientific societies in clinical nutrition. A questionnaire was distributed among all Polish adult HPN centers concerning statistics from the first 3 mo of the pandemic (March through May 2020). Data on medical staff resources and organizational issues of the units were collected. Modifications of the home procedures, SARS-CoV-2 infection rates of HPN patients and health care workers (HCW) were analyzed. Influence of the pandemic on the rates of new qualifications for home artificial nutrition (HAN) was estimated. Fourteen of 17 adult Polish HPN units took part in the study. The point prevalence of HPN in Poland was 30.75/1 million citizens. Of HCWs, 344 were involved in patient care in Polish HPN units; 18.9% were physicians (49% surgeons, 18.46% internal medicine specialists, 15.38% anesthesiologists, 7.69% pediatricians, 1.54% palliative care specialists), 32.27% nurses, 5.23% dietitians, 9.01% pharmacists, 4.94% pharmacy technicians, 3.2% pharmacy assistants, 5.81% administrative workers, 3.49% physiotherapists. HAN patient-to-HCW ratios for physicians, nurses, pharmacists, dietitians were 49.5, 29.15, 111.6, and 181.6, respectively. Medium ages of physicians and nurses were 45.6 and 44.15 y, respectively. Slightly less than half (53.8%) of physicians and 31.53% of nurses worked parallelly in hospital wards. Thirty-one pharmacists overall were working in all HPN units (2.21 per unit) as were 18 dietitians (1.3 per unit). Nine patients had a confirmed COVID-19 infection (four HPN, five home enteral nutrition). All the units introduced telemedicine solutions in the first months of the pandemic. The number of new qualifications for HPN and home enteral nutrition in the units did not significantly decline from March through May in comparison with a similar period in 2019. CONCLUSIONS: A shortage of HPN medical professionals requires attention when planning health care organization, especially during a pandemic. Severe restrictions in public health systems may not reduce the number of new qualifications for the HPN procedure. There is a need for the continuation of data collection during the evolution of the pandemic as it may have a detrimental effect on HPN including serious issues with access to professional HCWs.

Home medical nutrition during SARS-CoV-2 pandemic - A position paper.

BACKGROUND: The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the cause of a worldwide rapidly spreading illness, Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Patients fed enterally and parenterally at home are exposed to the same risk of infection as the general population, but more prone to complications than others. Therefore the guidance for care-givers and care-takers of these patients is needed. METHODS: The literature search identified no relevant systematic reviews or studies on the subject. Therefore a panel of 21 experts from 13 home medical nutrition (HMN) centres in Poland was formed. Twenty-three key issues relevant to the management of SARS-CoV-2 infection or COVID-19 in the HMN settings were identified and discussed. Some statements diverge from the available nutrition, surgical or ICU guidelines, some are based on the best available experience. Each topic was discussed and assessed during two Delphi rounds subsequently. Statements were graded strong or weak based on the balance between benefit and harm, resource and cost implications, equity, and feasibility. RESULTS: the panel issued 23 statements, all of them were graded strong. Two scored 85.71% agreement, eleven 95.23%, and ten 100%. The topics were: infection control, enrolment to HMN, logistics and patient information. CONCLUSIONS: the position paper present pragmatic statements for HMN to be implemented in places without existing protocols for SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. They represent the state of knowledge available at the moment and may change should new evidence occurs.

Home Enteral Nutrition in Adults-Nationwide Multicenter Survey.

Home enteral nutrition (HEN) is an important part of the health care system, with a growing population of patients around the world. The aim of our study was to analyze one of the largest cohorts of HEN patients to provide the most recent data available in European literature. A multicenter, nation-wide survey in the period of 1 January 2018-1 January 2019 was performed in Poland. Data concerning adult patients on HEN in 2018 during 1 year of observation time were analyzed: demographic characteristics, primary disease, technique of enteral feeding, diet formulation and amount of energy provided. A total of 4586 HEN patients (F: 46.7%, M: 53.3%) were included in the study. The primary diseases were: 54.5% neurological (17.4%-neurovascular, 13.7%-neurodegenerative), 33.9% cancer (20.2%-head and neck, 11.7%-gastrointestinal cancer), 2.5%-gastroenterology, 1.5%-inherited diseases. Of new registrations in 2018-cancer patients 46.3%, neurological patients 45.1%. The median age overall was: 64 yr., BMI-20.2 kg/m2, NRS 2002 score-4.28. A total of 65% of patients were treated with PEG, 11.6% with surgical gastrostomy, 14.3% with naso-gastric tube and 7% with jejunostomy. Boluses were the most common method of feeding (74.4%). Gravity flow was used in 17.6% and peristaltic pump was used in 8% patients. The median energy provision was 1278 kcal/day and 24 kcal/kg/day. The most commonly used diets were: isocaloric (28.1%), protein-enriched isocaloric (20%) and protein-enriched hypercaloric (12%). The median overall duration of HEN was 354 days, 615 days for neurological and 209 days for cancer patients. A number of new registrations of cancer patients was significant and long duration of HEN in this group is encouraging. A developing spectrum of enteral formulas available enables more specified nutritional interventions.

The Polish Intestinal Failure Centres' consensus on the use of teduglutide for the treatment of short bowel syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: Teduglutide is an active, glucagon-like peptide (GLP)-2 analog with proven clinical efficacy regarding intestinal adaptation in patients with short bowel syndrome (SBS). There are two factors that preclude its reimbursement, and thereby, its availability: its cost (reaching ∼$300,000/y)-which significantly exceeds the cost of home parenteral nutrition (HPN) in most countries-and the lack of clear guidelines. The aim of this study was to create evidence-based working criteria for the use of teduglutide that could be used in clinical settings. METHODS: Experts from the Polish Network of Intestinal Failure Centers analyzed available research and considered experience on the topic of HPN and intestinal failure to create guidelines. RESULTS: Experts agreed that there are two groups of HPN patients who can benefit from therapy with a GLP-2 analog: those with a good prognosis (in whom complete weaning from HPN may be possible) and those with a poor prognosis (the therapy would be lifesaving). Patient criteria comprise the following: inclusion and exclusion criteria, parameters that can be used for monitoring, outcome measures, and the rationale for the termination of the treatment. CONCLUSIONS: It was possible to describe inclusion criteria for both patient groups that justify the use of teduglutide from medical and economic perspectives.