IODINE CONTENT OF ENTERAL AND PARENTERAL NUTRITION SOLUTIONS.

OBJECTIVE: Iodine is essential for thyroid hormone synthesis, and iodine deficiency may result in thyroid disorders including goiter and hypothyroidism. Patients on long-term enteral nutrition (EN) or parenteral nutrition (PN) may be at risk for micronutrient deficiencies. The recommended daily allowance for iodine intake is 150 µg for nonpregnant adults. However, there is no current consensus among scientific societies regarding the quantity of iodine to be added in adult EN and PN formulations. The objective of this study was to determine the iodine content of U.S. adult enteral and parenteral nutrition solutions. This study also aimed to determine whether adult patients in the United States who are receiving long-term artificial nutrition may be at risk for iodine deficiency. METHODS: Ten enteral nutrition solutions and 4 parenteral nutrition solutions were evaluated. The iodine contents of these solutions were measured spectrophotometrically and compared to the labeled contents. RESULTS: Measured and labeled EN iodine contents were similar (range 131-176 µg/L and 106-160 µg/L, respectively). In contrast, PN formulas were found to contain small, unlabeled amounts of iodine, averaging 27 µg/L. CONCLUSION: Typical fluid requirements are 30 to 40 mL/kg/day for adults receiving either total EN (TEN) or total PN (TPN). Adults on long-term TEN likely consume enough servings to meet their daily iodine requirements. However, patients on long-term TPN would require on average 5.6 L PN/day to meet the recommended daily allowance of iodine. This volume of PN is far in excess of typical consumption. Thus, U.S. patients requiring long-term TPN may be at risk for iodine deficiency. ABBREVIATIONS: EN = enteral nutrition; PN = parenteral nutrition; TEN = total enteral nutrition; TPN = total parenteral nutrition; UIC = urinary iodine concentration.

Nutritional status and feeding practices in gastrointestinal surgery patients at Bach Mai Hospital, Hanoi, Vietnam.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The nutritional status and hospital feeding practices of surgical patients in Vietnam are not well documented. Based on a cross-sectional study at Bach Mai Hospital (BMH), the prevalence of malnutrition was found to be 33% in the surgical ward using a body mass index (BMI<18.5 kg/m(2). We conducted an observational study over a three month period to evaluate the feeding practices in the gastrointestinal (GI) surgery ward at Bach Mai Hospital (BMH) in Hanoi, Vietnam. METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN: Investigators from the U.S. and the Vietnamese National Institute of Nutrition (NIN) enrolled 72 subjects admitted for elective GI surgery in an observational study at BMH. Baseline anthropometrics and changes over time, body mass index (BMI), Subjective Global Assessment (SGA) and daily kcal and protein intake from oral diet, tube feeding, and parenteral nutrition (PN) from admission until discharge were documented. RESULTS: A total of 50% of subjects scored a B or C on the SGA; 48% of subjects had a BMI<18.5, while mean mid upper arm circumference was in the lownormal range (24±4 cm). Nearly all patients (98%) were given PN postoperatively, with oral feeding starting on an average of postoperative day 4. Only one patient was tube fed. Mean daily total calorie intake was 15 kcal/kg/day and protein intake was 0.61 g/kg/day during hospitalization. Micronutrient supplementation was minimal in subjects receiving PN. CONCLUSIONS: Hospital malnutrition in surgical patients in Vietnam is a significant problem, peri-operative feeding appears suboptimal and use of early postoperative PN was routine.

Anemia and leukopenia in a long-term parenteral nutrition patient during a shortage of parenteral trace element products in the United States.

Recently, drug shortages in the United States have affected multiple components of the parenteral nutrition (PN) solution. A 62-year-old patient with systemic sclerosis who was dependent on home PN due to intestinal dysmotility developed anemia and leukopenia approximately 4 months after parenteral copper was withheld from her PN solution due to drug shortages. The patient was not able to tolerate a sufficient amount of oral multivitamins with trace elements due to severe dysphagia. Her serum copper and ceruloplasmin concentrations were undetectable, confirming the diagnosis of severe copper deficiency. The hematological abnormalities promptly resolved with copper supplementation. This report emphasizes the importance of close monitoring for nutrient deficiencies during drug shortages and supplementing with oral or enteral nutrition when feasible, particularly in high-risk patients such as those with intestinal malabsorption or short bowel syndrome who are dependent on long-term PN.

Metabolic vs nutrition support: a hypothesis.

It is now generally accepted that early feeding post injury exerts a positive effect on outcome in the critically ill, despite the fact that many of these patients are well nourished or even overnourished on admission. One possible mechanism is that early feeding post injury may have a positive influence on the duration and intensity of the systemic inflammatory response, especially when coupled with intensive insulin therapy to maintain normoglycemia at <150 mg/dL. Current clinical nutrition guidelines recommend early enteral nutrition providing full nutrition requirements in the critically ill patient; however, in the first week post injury, exclusive enteral feeding is typically inadequate, particularly in protein. A potentially new and different therapeutic goal to modulate the systemic inflammatory response might be more effectively accomplished for the first week post injury by hypocaloric feedings (~9-18 kcal/kg or 50%-75% resting metabolic expenditure) principally as intravenous dextrose but with at least 1 g/kg protein as intravenous amino acids to provide early metabolic support. This proposed regime, along with intensive insulin therapy to maintain glucose homeostasis, should promote the protein synthetic component of the postinjury inflammatory response while reducing net protein catabolism. A formal trial of early metabolic support in the acutely injured should be safe, easy to execute, and potentially efficacious, with subsequent improvement in the inflammatory state and, it is hoped, clinical outcomes.

Criteria for patient selection and multidisciplinary evaluation and treatment of the weight loss surgery patient.

OBJECTIVE: To provide evidence-based guidelines for patient selection and to recommend the medical and nutritional aspects of multidisciplinary care required to minimize perioperative and postoperative risks in patients with severe obesity who undergo weight loss surgery (WLS). RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Members of the Multidisciplinary Care Task Group conducted searches of MEDLINE and PubMed for articles related to WLS in general and medical and nutritional care in particular. Pertinent abstracts and literature were reviewed for references. Multiple searches were carried out for various aspects of multidisciplinary care published between 1980 and 2004. A total of 3000 abstracts were identified; 242 were reviewed in detail. RESULTS: We recommended multidisciplinary screening of WLS patients to ensure appropriate selection; preoperative assessment for cardiovascular, pulmonary, gastrointestinal, endocrine, and other obesity-related diseases associated with increased risk for complications or mortality; preoperative weight loss and cessation of smoking; perioperative prophylaxis for deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism (PE); preoperative and postoperative education and counseling by a registered dietitian; and a well-defined postsurgical diet progression. DISCUSSION: Obesity-related diseases are often undiagnosed before WLS, putting patients at increased risk for complications and/or early mortality. Multidisciplinary assessment and care to minimize short- and long-term risks include: comprehensive medical screening; appropriate pre-, peri-, and postoperative preparation; collaboration with multiple patient care disciplines (e.g., anesthesiology, pulmonary medicine, cardiology, and psychology); and long-term nutrition education/counseling.

Best practices for perioperative nursing care for weight loss surgery patients.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the unique nursing responsibilities involved in providing nursing care to severely obese weight loss surgery patients and to develop evidence-based guidelines for safe patient care. RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES: We performed a systematic review of the scientific literature using MEDLINE and CINAHL. A specific search of nursing journals from 1985 to 2004 identified 134 articles; 16 were found to be pertinent. These were reviewed in detail and used in the context of this report. The quality of the evidence was graded according to a system derived from established evidence-based models. Recommendations were developed from published evidence and expert opinion. RESULTS: This Task Group found that safe and competent nursing care requires assessment of, and provision for, the complex physical and psychological needs of weight loss surgery patients. We developed evidence-based guidelines for preoperative, perioperative, and postoperative care that address risk factors unique to severely obese patients. We also addressed issues related to the use of proper body mechanics and positioning to avoid on-the-job injury to nursing staff. DISCUSSION: We found that patient safety is best served when nurses are specifically trained to deal with the physical, medical, and psychosocial needs of severely obese patients and when they play an integral role in the multidisciplinary healthcare team. This role should start with a patient's first contact with the system and continue through discharge and follow-up. Special attention needs to be paid to the widespread bias and discrimination that severely obese individuals often experience.