Possible Role of Tauroursodeoxycholic Acid (TUDCA) and Antibiotic Administration in Modulating Human Gut Microbiota in Home Enteral Nutrition Therapy for the Elderly: A Case Report.

Tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA) increases the influx of primary bile acids into the gut. Results obtained on animal models suggested that Firmicutes and Proteobacteria phyla are more resistant to bile acids in rats. As part of a pilot study investigating the role of probiotics supplementation in elderly people with home enteral nutrition (HEN), a case of a 92-year-old woman with HEN is reported in the present study. She lives in a nursing home and suffers from Alzheimer's disease (AD); the patient had been prescribed TUDCA for lithiasis cholangitis. The aim of this case report is therefore to investigate whether long-term TUDCA administration may play a role in altering the patient's gut microbiota (GM) and the impact of an antibiotic therapy on the diversity of microbial species. Using next generation sequencing (NGS) analysis of the bacterial 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene a dominant shift toward Firmicutes and a remodeling in Proteobacteria abundance was observed in the woman's gut microbiota. Considering the patient's age, health status and type of diet, we would have expected to find a GM with a prevalence of Bacteroidetes phylum. This represents the first study investigating the possible TUDCA's effect on human GM.

Development of Quality Indicators for Geriatric Home Enteral Nutrition (HEN) Services.

The evidence on the safety, efficacy and patient centeredness of Home Enteral Nutrition (HEN) services is scarce. In 2015, we carried out a search of the literature to identify specific indicators for HEN services as tools to be used to assess the quality of INRCA HEN services. No specific indicators for HEN services were found. Through a subsequent search of the literature, we have identified the appropriate methodology to define quality indicators and developed eight (8) specific indicators to track the quality of our HEN service for geriatric patients. Following Donabiedan's classification, we have defined two structure indicators, two process indicators and four outcome indicators that are presented in this manuscript. Though they may be used to make a comparison of HEN services for geriatric patients and to monitor the quality of therapy provided at patients' homes, the definition of quality system indicators for HEN services requires the additional joint efforts of experts in the field of nutrition and the scientific community for their validation.

COVID-19 infection in patients on long-term home parenteral nutrition for chronic intestinal failure.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: To investigate the incidence and the severity of COVID-19 infection in patients enrolled in the database for home parenteral nutrition (HPN) for chronic intestinal failure (CIF) of the European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (ESPEN). METHODS: Period of observation: March 1st, 2020 March 1st, 2021. INCLUSION CRITERIA: patients included in the database since 2015 and still receiving HPN on March 1st, 2020 as well as new patients included in the database during the period of observation. Data related to the previous 12 months and recorded on March 1st 2021: 1) occurrence of COVID-19 infection since the beginning of the pandemic (yes, no, unknown); 2) infection severity (asymptomatic; mild, no-hospitalization; moderate, hospitalization no-ICU; severe, hospitalization in ICU); 3) vaccinated against COVID-19 (yes, no, unknown); 4) patient outcome on March 1st 2021: still on HPN, weaned off HPN, deceased, lost to follow up. RESULTS: Sixty-eight centres from 23 countries included 4680 patients. Data on COVID-19 were available for 55.1% of patients. The cumulative incidence of infection was 9.6% in the total group and ranged from 0% to 21.9% in the cohorts of individual countries. Infection severity was reported as: asymptomatic 26.7%, mild 32.0%, moderate 36.0%, severe 5.3%. Vaccination status was unknown in 62.0% of patients, non-vaccinated 25.2%, vaccinated 12.8%. Patient outcome was reported as: still on HPN 78.6%, weaned off HPN 10.6%, deceased 9.7%, lost to follow up 1.1%. A higher incidence of infection (p = 0.04), greater severity of infection (p < 0.001) and a lower vaccination percentage (p = 0.01) were observed in deceased patients. In COVID-19 infected patients, deaths due to infection accounted for 42.8% of total deaths. CONCLUSIONS: In patients on HPN for CIF, the incidence of COVID-19 infection differed greatly among countries. Although the majority of cases were reported to be asymptomatic or have mild symptoms only, COVID-19 was reported to be fatal in a significant proportion of infected patients. Lack of vaccination was associated with a higher risk of death.

Multidisciplinary Assessment and Individualized Nutritional Management of Dysphagia in Older Outpatients.

INTRODUCTION: The evidence on the efficacy of nutrition therapy to prevent complications of dysphagia is based on observational studies that used different tools for nutritional and dysphagia assessment, and different scales for the definition of diet textures, rendering their results incomparable and the knowledge on dysphagia management inconclusive. METHODS: This retrospective observational study was performed in 267 older outpatients who were assessed for dysphagia and nutritional status by a multidisciplinary team at the Clinical Nutrition Unit of IRCCS INRCA geriatric research hospital (Ancona, Italy) from 2018 to 2021. GUSS test and ASHA-NOMS measurement systems were used for dysphagia assessment, GLIM criteria for the assessment of nutritional status, and the IDDSI framework to describe the texture-modified diets. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the characteristics of the subjects evaluated. Sociodemographic, functional and clinical parameters were compared between patients with and without BMI improvement overtime by an unpaired Student's t test, Mann-Whitney U test or Chi square test, as appropriate. RESULTS: Dysphagia was diagnosed in more than 96.0% of subjects; 22.1% (n = 59) of dysphagic subjects were also malnourished. Dysphagia was treated exclusively by nutrition therapy, prevalently by individualized texture-modified diets (77.4%). For the classification of diet texture, the IDDSI framework was used. The follow-up visit was attended by 63.7% (n = 102) of subjects. Aspiration pneumonia was registered only in one patient (less than 1%), and BMI improved in 13 of 19 malnourished subjects (68.4%). The improvement of nutritional status was primarily reached in subjects whose energy intake was increased and texture of solids modified, in younger subjects, and in those taking less drugs and not reporting any weight loss before the first assessment. CONCLUSIONS: The nutritional management of dysphagia must guarantee both an adequate consistency and energy-protein intake. Evaluations and outcomes should be described with universal scales, in order to allow for comparison between studies and contribute to the collection of a critical mass of evidence on the efficacy of texture-modified diets in the management of dysphagia and its complications.

Prevalence and management of dysphagia in nursing home residents in Europe and Israel: the SHELTER Project.

BACKGROUND: Dysphagia is a frequent condition in older nursing home residents (NHRs) which may cause malnutrition and death. Nevertheless, its prevalence is still underestimated and there is still debate about the appropriateness and efficacy of artificial nutrition (AN) in subjects with severe dysphagia. The aim is to assess the prevalence of dysphagia in European and Israeli NHRs, its association with mortality, and the relationship of different nutritional interventions, i.e. texture modified diets and AN-with weight loss and mortality. METHODS: A prospective observational study of 3451 European and Israeli NHRs older than 65 years, participating in the SHELTER study from 2009 to 2011, at baseline and after 12 months. All residents underwent a standardized comprehensive evaluation using the interRAI Long Term Care Facility (LTCF). Cognitive status was assessed using the Cognitive Performance Scale (CPS), functional status using Activities of Daily Living (ADL) Hierarchy scale. Trained staff assessed dysphagia at baseline by clinical observation. Data on weight loss were collected for all participants at baseline and after 12 months. Deaths were registered by NH staff. RESULTS: The prevalence of dysphagia was 30.3%. During the one-year follow-up, the mortality rate in subjects with dysphagia was significantly higher compared with that of non-dysphagic subjects (31.3% vs 17.0%,p = 0,001). The multivariate analysis showed that NHRs with dysphagia had 58.0% higher risk of death within 1 year compared with non-dysphagic subjects (OR 1.58, 95% CI, 1.31-1.91). The majority of NHRs with dysphagia were prescribed texture modified diets (90.6%), while AN was used in less than 10% of subjects. No statistically significant difference was found concerning weight loss and mortality after 12 months following the two different nutritional treatments. CONCLUSIONS: Dysphagia is prevalent among NHRs and it is associated with increased mortality, independent of the nutritional intervention used. Noticeably, after 12 months of nutritional intervention, NHRs treated with AN had similar mortality and weight loss compared to those who were treated with texture modified diets, despite the clinical conditions of patients on AN were more compromised.

Nutritional parameters associated with prognosis in non-critically ill hospitalized COVID-19 patients: The NUTRI-COVID19 study.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: To investigate the association between the parameters used in nutritional screening assessment (body mass index [BMI], unintentional weight loss [WL] and reduced food intake) and clinical outcomes in non-critically ill, hospitalized coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients. METHODS: This was a prospective multicenter real-life study carried out during the first pandemic wave in 11 Italian Hospitals. In total, 1391 patients were included. The primary end-point was a composite of in-hospital mortality or admission to ICU, whichever came first. The key secondary end-point was in-hospital mortality. RESULTS: Multivariable models were based on 1183 patients with complete data. Reduced self-reported food intake before hospitalization and/or expected by physicians in the next days since admission was found to have a negative prognostic impact for both the primary and secondary end-point (P < .001 for both). No association with BMI and WL was observed. Other predictors of outcomes were age and presence of multiple comorbidities. A significant interaction between obesity and multi-morbidity (≥2) was detected. Obesity was found to be a risk factor for composite end-point (HR = 1.36 [95%CI, 1.03-1.80]; P = .031) and a protective factor against in-hospital mortality (HR = 0.32 [95%CI, 0.20-0.51]; P < .001) in patients with and without multiple comorbidities, respectively. Secondary analysis (patients, N = 829), further adjusted for high C-reactive protein (>21 mg/dL) and LDH (>430 mU/mL) levels yielded consistent findings. CONCLUSIONS: Reduced self-reported food intake before hospitalization and/or expected by physicians in the next days since admission was associated with negative clinical outcomes in non-critically ill, hospitalized COVID-19 patients. This simple and easily obtainable parameter may be useful to identify patients at highest risk of poor prognosis, who may benefit from prompt nutritional support. The presence of comorbidities could be the key factor, which may determine the protective or harmful role of a high body mass index in COVID-19.

Characteristics of adult patients with chronic intestinal failure due to short bowel syndrome: An international multicenter survey.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The case-mix of patients with intestinal failure due to short bowel syndrome (SBS-IF) can differ among centres and may also be affected by the timeframe of data collection. Therefore, the ESPEN international multicenter cross-sectional survey was analyzed to compare the characteristics of SBS-IF cohorts collected within the same timeframe in different countries. METHODS: The study included 1880 adult SBS-IF patients collected in 2015 by 65 centres from 22 countries. The demographic, nutritional, SBS type (end jejunostomy, SBS-J; jejuno-colic anastomosis, SBS-JC; jejunoileal anastomosis with an intact colon and ileocecal valve, SBS-JIC), underlying disease and intravenous supplementation (IVS) characteristics were analyzed. IVS was classified as fluid and electrolyte alone (FE) or parenteral nutrition admixture (PN). The mean daily IVS volume, calculated on a weekly basis, was categorized as <1, 1-2, 2-3 and >3 L/day. RESULTS: In the entire group: 60.7% were females and SBS-J comprised 60% of cases, while mesenteric ischaemia (MI) and Crohn' disease (CD) were the main underlying diseases. IVS dependency was longer than 3 years in around 50% of cases; IVS was infused ≥5 days/week in 75% and FE in 10% of cases. Within the SBS-IF cohort: CD was twice and thrice more frequent in SBS-J than SBS-JC and SBS-JIC, respectively, while MI was more frequent in SBS-JC and SBS-JIC. Within countries: SBS-J represented 75% or more of patients in UK and Denmark and 50-60% in the other countries, except Poland where SBS-JC prevailed. CD was the main underlying disease in UK, USA, Denmark and The Netherlands, while MI prevailed in France, Italy and Poland. CONCLUSIONS: SBS-IF type is primarily determined by the underlying disease, with significant variation between countries. These novel data will be useful for planning and managing both clinical activity and research studies on SBS.

Potential Role of Probiotics for Inflammaging: A Narrative Review.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Inflammaging, a chronic, low-grade inflammation (LGI), is one of the mechanisms of adaptation of an organism to aging. Alterations in the composition of gut microbiota and gut permeability are among the main sources of LGI. They may be modulated by supplementation with live microorganisms, i.e. probiotics. This narrative review was performed with the aim to critically examine the current evidence from randomized clinical trials (RCTs) on the effects of probiotics on pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines and C-reactive protein (CRP) in healthy older subjects. METHODOLOGY: RCTs on the effects of probiotics on inflammatory parameters in subjects older than 65 years published in English and Italian from 1990 to October 2020 were searched in PubMed. Studies that were not RCTs, those using probiotics together with prebiotics (synbiotics), and studies performed in subjects with acute or chronic diseases were excluded. The findings of RCTs were reported in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). RESULTS: A total of nine RCTs met the eligibility criteria and were included in this narrative review. Four articles reported that probiotic supplementation significantly affected inflammatory parameters, respectively, by reducing TGF-ß1 concentrations, IL-8, increasing IL-5 and Il-10, and IFN-γ and IL-12. CONCLUSIONS: Based on this narrative review, probiotic supplementation showed a limited effect on inflammatory markers in healthy individuals older than 65 years. Besides being few, the studies analyzed have methodological limitations, are heterogeneous, and provide results which are incomparable.

Safety and Efficacy of Probiotic Supplementation in Reducing the Incidence of Infections and Modulating Inflammation in the Elderly with Feeding Tubes: A Pilot, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study, "IntegPRO".

A double-blind, placebo-controlled study was performed in a sample of geriatric patients treated with home enteral nutrition (HEN) to analyze the efficacy of a probiotic supplement Proxian®, which contains Lactiplantibacillus plantarum LP01 (LMG P-21021), Lentilactobacillus buchneri Lb26 (DSM 16341), Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BS01 (LMG P-21384), and is enriched with zinc (Zn) and selenium (Se), in reducing the incidence of infections and modulating inflammation. Thirty-two subjects were enrolled (mean age 79.7 ± 10.3 years), 16 in the intervention group, 16 controls. They received Proxian® or placebo for 60 days. Patients were assessed at baseline (t0) and 60 (t1) and 90 (t2) days after the beginning. Infections were detected by information regarding their clinical manifestations and the incidence of antibiotic therapy. Levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) were measured to study inflammation. Information on bowel function, nutritional status and testimonials regarding the feasibility of administration of the product were collected. Differences between the two groups in number of infections (25% intervention group vs. 44% controls), antibiotic therapies (12% vs. 37%) and modulation of CRP levels (median CRP moved from 0.95 mg/L (t0), to 0.6 (t1) and 0.7 (t2) in intervention group vs. 0.7 mg/L, 0.5 and 0.7 in controls) did not reach statistical significance. No significant changes in bowel function and nutritional status were found. Caregivers' adherence was 100%. Results of this "IntegPRO" study showed that Proxian® is potentially safe, easy to administer and promising for further studies but it appears not to change the incidence of infections or modulate inflammation in elderly treated with HEN. The utility of Proxian® in reducing the incidence of infections and modulating inflammation in these subjects needs to be investigated by a larger multi-center clinical trial, and by using additional analyses on inflammatory markers and markers of infections.

Intravenous supplementation type and volume are associated with 1-year outcome and major complications in patients with chronic intestinal failure.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: No marker to categorise the severity of chronic intestinal failure (CIF) has been developed. A 1-year international survey was carried out to investigate whether the European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism clinical classification of CIF, based on the type and volume of the intravenous supplementation (IVS), could be an indicator of CIF severity. METHODS: At baseline, participating home parenteral nutrition (HPN) centres enrolled all adults with ongoing CIF due to non-malignant disease; demographic data, body mass index, CIF mechanism, underlying disease, HPN duration and IVS category were recorded for each patient. The type of IVS was classified as fluid and electrolyte alone (FE) or parenteral nutrition admixture (PN). The mean daily IVS volume, calculated on a weekly basis, was categorised as <1, 1-2, 2-3 and >3 L/day. The severity of CIF was determined by patient outcome (still on HPN, weaned from HPN, deceased) and the occurrence of major HPN/CIF-related complications: intestinal failure-associated liver disease (IFALD), catheter-related venous thrombosis and catheter-related bloodstream infection (CRBSI). RESULTS: Fifty-one HPN centres included 2194 patients. The analysis showed that both IVS type and volume were independently associated with the odds of weaning from HPN (significantly higher for PN <1 L/day than for FE and all PN >1 L/day), patients' death (lower for FE, p=0.079), presence of IFALD cholestasis/liver failure and occurrence of CRBSI (significantly higher for PN 2-3 and PN >3 L/day). CONCLUSIONS: The type and volume of IVS required by patients with CIF could be indicators to categorise the severity of CIF in both clinical practice and research protocols.

Home parenteral nutrition provision modalities for chronic intestinal failure in adult patients: An international survey.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: The safety and effectiveness of a home parenteral nutrition (HPN) program depends both on the expertise and the management approach of the HPN center. We aimed to evaluate both the approaches of different international HPN-centers in their provision of HPN and the types of intravenous supplementation (IVS)-admixtures prescribed to patients with chronic intestinal failure (CIF). METHODS: In March 2015, 65 centers from 22 countries enrolled 3239 patients (benign disease 90.1%, malignant disease 9.9%), recording the patient, CIF and HPN characteristics in a structured database. The HPN-provider was categorized as health care system local pharmacy (LP) or independent home care company (HCC). The IVS-admixture was categorized as fluids and electrolytes alone (FE) or parenteral nutrition, either commercially premixed (PA) or customized to the individual patient (CA), alone or plus extra FE (PAFE or CAFE). Doctors of HPN centers were responsible for the IVS prescriptions. RESULTS: HCC (66%) was the most common HPN provider, with no difference noted between benign-CIF and malignant-CIF. LP was the main modality in 11 countries; HCC prevailed in 4 European countries: Israel, USA, South America and Oceania (p < 0.001). IVS-admixture comprised: FE 10%, PA 17%, PAFE 17%, CA 38%, CAFE 18%. PA and PAFE prevailed in malignant-CIF while CA and CAFE use was greater in benign-CIF (p < 0.001). PA + PAFE prevailed in those countries where LP was the main HPN-provider and CA + CAFE prevailed where the main HPN-provider was HCC (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to demonstrate that HPN provision and the IVS-admixture differ greatly among countries, among HPN centers and between benign-CIF and cancer-CIF. As both HPN provider and IVS-admixture types may play a role in the safety and effectiveness of HPN therapy, criteria to homogenize HPN programs are needed so that patients can have equal access to optimal CIF care.

The predictive dysphagia score (PreDyScore) in the short- and medium-term post-stroke: a putative tool in PEG indication.

PURPOSE: We performed an evaluation of dysphagia in an unselected series of strokes to identify factors causing persisting dysphagia at 1 month after onset and to formulate a predictive score. METHODS: We evaluated the association between dysphagia and clinical aspects (univariate analysis) at the 7th and 30th days after admission. We performed a multivariate logistic regression at the 30th day on the factors that were significant. We computed a simple score for predicting persistent dysphagia. RESULTS: We recruited 249 patients. At the 7th day, 94 patients were dysphagic (37.75%). Factors associated with dysphagia included TACI (OR 3.85), mRS ≥ 3 (OR 4.45), malnutrition (OR 2.69), and BMI ≥ 20 (OR 0.52). At the 30th day, 217 patients remained in the study, and dysphagia persisted in 75 (36.76%). The factors that were associated with dysphagia were age > 74 years (OR 1.99), TACI (OR 5.82), mRS score ≥ 3 (OR 4.31), malnutrition (OR 3.27), and BMI ≥ 20 (OR 0.45). The multivariate analysis indicated that mRS ≥ 3 (OR 1.80) and BMI ≥ 20 (OR 0.45) remained significantly associated with dysphagia. The best correlation with dysphagia was the sum of mRS and the reciprocal of the BMI multiplied by 100 ((mRS + 1 ∕ BMI) × 100). We named this score PreDyScore that ranged between 3.7 and 10.47. Using < 6 and > 8 as cutoffs, the sensitivity was 67.03%, and the specificity 95.65%. CONCLUSION: BMI < 20 and mRS ≥ 3 are easily measurable bedside predictive factors of persistent dysphagia. PreDyScore showed good sensitivity and very good specificity and enables the prediction of persistent dysphagia with great accuracy in any clinical setting.

Dysphagia in Nursing Home Residents: Management and Outcomes.

OBJECTIVES: To define the prevalence of dysphagia and its associated factors and to investigate the influence of dysphagia and nutritional therapies performed in dysphagic subjects on clinical outcomes, including nutritional status, pressure ulcers, hospitalization, and mortality. DESIGN: A prospective observational study. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Thirty-one Italian nursing homes participating in the ULISSE project and 1490 long-stay nursing home residents, older than 65 years, assessed at baseline and reassessed after 6 and 12 months. MEASURES: All participants underwent a standardized comprehensive assessment using the Italian version of the nursing home Minimum Data Set. The activities of daily living Long-Form scale was used to evaluate functional status. Health care professionals assessed dysphagia by means of clinical evaluation. Nutritional status was assessed using the information on weight loss. RESULTS: The prevalence of dysphagia was 12.8%, and 16% of the subjects were treated with artificial nutrition. The mortality rate in subjects with dysphagia was significantly higher compared with that of nondysphagic subjects (27.7% vs 16.8%; P = .0001). The prevalence of weight loss and pressure ulcers was also higher in dysphagic subjects. At variance, dysphagia was not associated with a higher hospitalization risk. CONCLUSION/IMPLICATIONS: Dysphagia is common in nursing home residents, and it is associated with higher mortality. Therefore, early diagnosis and optimal management of dysphagia should become a priority issue in nursing homes.

The outcomes of long term home enteral nutrition (HEN) in older patients with severe dementia.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: European and international guidelines advice against initiating tube-feeding in patients with severe dementia. These recommendations are based on studies with important methodological limitations that evaluated the benefits of artificial nutrition in patients with percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy almost exclusively in terms of the prolongation of survival. The aims of this study were to assess the harmful effects of home enteral nutrition administered via the nasogastric tube and percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy in patients with advanced dementia in terms of mechanical, gastrointestinal and metabolic complications, to estimate the survival, to explore the risk factors for mortality and to compare the outcomes of patients with advanced dementia with those of patients without dementia. METHODS: The retrospective observational study was carried out on 585 consecutive patients of the mean age of 85.6 ± 6.9 years. They were treated using home enteral nutrition from 2010 to 2015 according to follow-up protocols adopted by the Clinical Nutrition Unit of an Italian geriatric research hospital (IRCCS-INRCA, Ancona). Incidence rates of mechanical, gastrointestinal and metabolic complications and survival rates in patients with severe dementia were compared to those in patients without dementia. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to evaluate the mortality risk factors. RESULTS: There was no difference between the incidence rates of complications in patients with severe dementia and those in patients without dementia. The incidence of mechanical complications was 1.35/1000 days for patients without dementia vs. 1.53/1000 days for patients with dementia (p = 0.270), the incidence of gastrointestinal complications was 1.30/1000 days for patients without dementia vs. 1.35/1000 days for patients with dementia (p = 0.984) and the incidence of metabolic complications was 0.36/1000 days for patients without dementia vs. 0.35/1000 days for patients with dementia (p = 0.252). The Kaplan Mailer analyses showed that there was no evidence to support the theses on poorer prognosis of survival of patients with dementia (median survival was 193 days for patients without dementia vs. 192 days for patients with dementia, (p > 0.05)). The female gender, advanced age, nasogastric tube, diabetes mellitus and chronic renal failure were identified as risk factors. Subjects whose Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index values were higher had a lower risk of mortality. CONCLUSIONS: The discussion on the appropriateness of enteral nutrition in patients with severe dementia is still open. Our results show that, if there is a medical prescription for tube-feeding and a patient's surrogate decision-makers express free and informed consent to the tube-feeding of the patient, enteral nutrition should not be contraindicated a priori if the patient has severe dementia. Regular follow-up is mandatory to guarantee adherence to the therapy and achieve its initial aims and to ensure that the principles of beneficence and nonmaleficence are respected.

Clinical classification of adult patients with chronic intestinal failure due to benign disease: An international multicenter cross-sectional survey.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: The aim of the study was to evaluate the applicability of the ESPEN 16-category clinical classification of chronic intestinal failure, based on patients' intravenous supplementation (IVS) requirements for energy and fluids, and to evaluate factors associated with those requirements. METHODS: ESPEN members were invited to participate through ESPEN Council representatives. Participating centers enrolled adult patients requiring home parenteral nutrition for chronic intestinal failure on March 1st 2015. The following patient data were recorded though a structured database: sex, age, body weight and height, intestinal failure mechanism, underlying disease, IVS volume and energy need. RESULTS: Sixty-five centers from 22 countries enrolled 2919 patients with benign disease. One half of the patients were distributed in 3 categories of the ESPEN clinical classification. 9% of patients required only fluid and electrolyte supplementation. IVS requirement varied considerably according to the pathophysiological mechanism of intestinal failure. Notably, IVS volume requirement represented loss of intestinal function better than IVS energy requirement. A simplified 8 category classification of chronic intestinal failure was devised, based on two types of IVS (either fluid and electrolyte alone or parenteral nutrition admixture containing energy) and four categories of volume. CONCLUSIONS: Patients' IVS requirements varied widely, supporting the need for a tool to homogenize patient categorization. This study has devised a novel, simplified eight category IVS classification for chronic intestinal failure that will prove useful in both the clinical and research setting when applied together with the underlying pathophysiological mechanism of the patient's intestinal failure.

Malnutrition upon Hospital Admission in Geriatric Patients: Why Assess It?

OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence of malnutrition according to the new ESPEN definition in a population of geriatric hospital patients and to determine how malnutrition affects the length of hospital stay (LOS) and hospital mortality. DESIGN: A retrospective analysis of data gathered during nutritional screening surveys carried out three consecutive years, from 2012 to 2014, in an Italian geriatric research hospital (INRCA, Ancona) was performed. On the day of the study, demographic data, data on clinical conditions and the nutritional status of newly admitted patients were collected. Patients were screened for malnutrition risk using the Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST). Subsequently, malnutrition was diagnosed, for subjects at high risk, following the criteria suggested by the European Association for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism [body mass index (BMI) < 18.5 kg/m2 or different combinations of unintentional weight loss over time and BMI values]. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value of MUST compared to ESPEN criteria were assessed. The characteristics of patients with a diagnosis of malnutrition were compared to those of non-malnourished patients. The impact of malnutrition on LOS and hospital mortality was investigated through logistic and linear regression models. SETTING: The study was performed in an Italian geriatric research hospital (INRCA, Ancona). SUBJECTS: Two hundred eighty-four newly hospitalized geriatric patients from acute care wards (mean age 82.8 ± 8.7 years), who gave their written consent to participate in the study, were enrolled. RESULTS: According to the MUST, high risk of malnutrition at hospitalization was found in 28.2% of patients. Malnutrition was diagnosed in 24.6% of subjects. The malnutrition was an independent predictor of both the LOS and hospital mortality. The multivariate analyses-linear and logistic regression-were performed considering different potential confounders contemporarily. The results showed that the malnutrition is an independent predictor of LOS and hospital mortality. Malnourished subjects were hospitalized almost 3 days longer compared to non-malnourished patients (p = 0.047; CI 0.04-5.80). The risk of death during hospitalization was 55% higher for malnourished patients (p = 0.037; CI 0.21-0.95). CONCLUSION: A new ESPEN consensus of malnutrition was easily applicable in a population of geriatric hospital patients. Given that the nutritional status of geriatric patients was strongly correlated with the LOS and hospital mortality, the use of this simple and non-time consuming tool is highly recommended in clinical practice.

Home Enteral Nutrition therapy: Difficulties, satisfactions and support needs of caregivers assisting older patients.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: The purpose of this study was to comprehend and describe the views, experiences and adaptations of caregivers who assist older patients treated with Home Enteral Nutrition. The objective was to gather empirical evidence to improve the delivery of Home Enteral Nutrition for old patients taking into account the caregivers' support needs. METHODS: A qualitative methodology with focus groups as data collection method was used to collect the testimonies of 30 informal and formal caregivers of older patients treated with Home Enteral Nutrition by the Clinical Nutrition Service of INRCA (Ancona) during 2014. Quantitative methodology was used to collect socio-demographic data. Partially modified Silver's "Home Enteral Nutrition Caregiver Task Checklist" was used to identify training needs. The constant comparison method was used to code and categorize data and to develop themes of focus groups. Simple descriptive statistics were used to summarize questionnaires. RESULTS: Five main themes were identified from focus groups: acceptance of the therapy, skill acquisition process, need for psychological and practical support at home from healthcare professionals, lifestyle adaptation, affirmation of life and family. All caregivers testified the initial fear and refusal to manage the nutrition pump and the therapy. They expressed the need to be trained gradually, starting during a patient's hospitalization, and continuing in the community. With reference to their overall QoL, it emerged that informal caregivers suffered mostly from the reduction of their free time while formal caregivers suffered social isolation and psychological burden. For both groups the monthly home visit was the most important element of the HEN service. Informal caregivers highlighted the importance of having their loved ones at home. Unsatisfied training needs were identified by the modified Silver's "Home Enteral Nutrition Caregiver Task Checklist". CONCLUSIONS: This qualitative study underlined the challenges and adaptations of caregivers who assist older patients treated with Home Enteral Nutrition, which should be considered when defining clinical protocols and supporting caregivers.

Utility of video consultation to improve the outcomes of home enteral nutrition in a population of frail older patients.

AIM: To determine whether the outcomes of home enteral nutrition for frail older patients can be improved by video consultation between home visiting staff and a hospital physician, specialized in clinical nutrition, during monthly home visits. METHODS: A randomized prospective study out of patients aged older than 65 years receiving home enteral nutrition from the Department of Clinical Nutrition of an Italian geriatric hospital in 2013 was carried. A total of 100 patients were randomly assigned to receive video consultation in addition to regular monthly home visits, 88 patients only had regular monthly home visits. Therapy outcomes - incidence rates of complications, outpatient hospital visits and hospitalizations - were compared between two groups. A logistic regression analysis was carried out to evaluate the usefulness of the video consultation to improve therapy outcomes. RESULTS: Incidence rates for metabolic and gastrointestinal complications were significantly lower for patients who received a video consultation, respectively: 0.032/year "video consultation" versus 0.055/year "no video consultation" (P = 0.0001) and 0.006/year "video consultation" versus 0.028/year "no video consultation" (P < 0.0001). No differences were found for incidence rates of mechanical complications, outpatient hospital visits and hospitalizations. Logistic regression showed that the video consultation was significantly correlated with a reduction of metabolic complications (OR 2.63, 95% CI 1.00-6.91; P = 0.049 after adjustment for duration of home enteral nutrition and diabetes mellitus 2). CONCLUSION: The present study provides evidence that a video consultation between home visiting staff and hospital physicians specialized in clinical nutrition during monthly home visits is associated with a reduction of metabolic complications in a population of frail older patients. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2015; ●●: ●●-●●.

Reliability and validity of the Italian Eating Assessment Tool.

OBJECTIVES: We sought to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Italian EAT-10 (Italian Eating Assessment Tool; I-EAT-10). METHODS: The study consisted of 4 phases: item generation, internal consistency and reliability analysis, normative data generation, and validity analysis. Discussion of the EAT-10 with 30 patients and its back-translation were accomplished. The recruited population included 172 patients (40 with dysphonia and 132 with dysphagia) and 269 asymptomatic subjects for testing of internal consistency, and 94 patients with dysphagia and 158 asymptomatic subjects for test-retest reliability analysis. Normative data were gathered from the 269 subjects. The scores of patients and asymptomatic subjects were compared. The I-EAT-10 and flexible endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) scores in 94 patients were correlated. The I-EAT-10 scores made before and after successful swallowing rehabilitation in 38 patients were compared. RESULTS: Excellent internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha values of 0.90 and 0.93) and strong test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficients of 0.95 and 0.98) were found in patients and asymptomatic subjects. The I-EAT-10 mean (+/- SD) score of the normal cohort was 0.6 +/- 1.1. The asymptomatic subjects and dysphonic patients scored lower than the dysphagic patients on the Kruskal-Wallis test (p = 0.001). The I-EAT-10 and FEES scores were mildly correlated. The mean I-EAT-10 score improved from 9.8 +/- 10.3 to 5.8 +/- 6.7 after swallowing rehabilitation (p = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: The I-EAT-10 is a reliable, valid, symptom-specific outcome tool.