• Background Underfeeding of patients reliant on enteral tube feedings most likely is due primarily to interruptions in the infusions. Strategies to improve energy intake require an understanding of such interruptions and associated outcomes. • Objectives To compare daily energy intake with goal energy intake; to ascertain frequency, duration, and reasons for interruptions in feedings; and to determine occurrences of feeding intolerance. • Methods A prospective, descriptive study of a convenience sample of patients admitted during a 3-month period to a medical intensive care unit. Patients were included who were expected to receive continuous enteral tube feedings for at least 48 hours. Patients were studied until discontinuation of feedings, discharge from the unit, or death. • Results Thirty-nine patients were studied for 276 feeding days. Patients received a mean of 64% of goal energy intake. Mean length of interruptions in feeding was 5.23 hours per patient per day. Interruptions for performance of tests and procedures accounted for 35.7% of the total cessation in feeding time. Next most time-consuming interruptions occurred with changes in body position (15%), unstable clinical conditions (13.5%), high gastric residual volume (11.5%), and nausea and vomiting (9.2%). Patients had diarrhea 105 (38%) of 276 feeding days. Gastric residual volumes exceeded 150 mL on 28 measurements in 11 patients. Five patients experienced episodes of nausea and vomiting. Four patients experienced an episode of feeding aspiration. • Conclusions Precautionary interruptions in enteral feedings to decrease presumed risk of aspiration occurred frequently and resulted in underfeeding. Episodes of vomiting and of aspiration were uncommon.

Background/Objective The detection of malnutrition in the intensive care unit (ICU) is critical to appropriately address its contribution on outcomes. The primary objective of this investigation was to determine if nutritional status could be reliably classified using Subjective Global Assessment (SGA) in mechanically ventilated (MV) patients. Subjects/Methods Fifty-seven patients requiring MV greater than 48 hours in a university-affiliated medical ICU were evaluated in this cross-sectional study over a 3 month period. Nutritional status was categorized independently by two Registered Dietitians using SGA. Frequencies, means (± standard deviations), Chi square and T tests were used to describe the population characteristics; agreement between raters was evaluated using the κ statistic. Results On admission, the average patient was 50.4 (± 14.2) years of age, overweight (body mass index: 29.0 ± 9.2), had an APACHE II score of 24 (± 10) and respiratory failure. Fifty percent (n=29) of patients were categorized as malnourished. Agreement between raters was 95% prior to consensus, reflecting near perfect agreement (κ =0.90) and excellent reliability. Patients categorized as malnourished were more often admitted to the hospital floor prior to the ICU (n=32; 56%), reported decreased dietary intake (69% vs. 46%, p=0.02) and exhibited signs of muscle wasting (45% vs. 7%, p<0.001, respectively) and fat loss (52% vs. 7%, p<0.001, respectively) on physical exam when compared to normally nourished individuals. Conclusions SGA can serve as a reliable nutrition assessment technique for detecting malnutrition in patients requiring MV. Its routine use should be incorporated into future studies and clinical practice.

Background: Our trial INTACT (Intensive Nutrition in Acute Lung Injury Trial) was designed to compare the impact of feeding from acute lung injury (ALI) diagnosis to hospital discharge, an interval that, to our knowledge, has not yet been explored. It was stopped early because participants who were randomly assigned to energy intakes at nationally recommended amounts via intensive medical nutrition therapy experienced significantly higher mortality hazards than did those assigned to standard nutrition support care that provided energy at 55% of recommended concentrations. Objective: We assessed the influence of dose and timing of feeding on hospital mortality. Design: Participants (n = 78) were dichotomized as died or discharged alive. Associations between the energy and protein received overall, early (days 1-7), and late (days $8) and the hazards of hospital mortality were evaluated between groups with multivariable analysis methods. Results: Higher overall energy intake predicted significantly higher mortality (OR: 1.14, 95% CI: 1.02, 1.27). Among participants enrolled for $8 d (n = 66), higher early energy intake significantly increased the HR for mortality (HR: 1.17, 95% CI: 1.07, 1.28), whereas higher late energy intake was significantly protective (HR: 0.91, 95% CI: 0.83, 1.0). Results were similar for early but not late protein (grams per kilogram) exposure (early-exposure HR: 8.9, 95% CI: 2.3, 34.3; late-exposure HR: 0.15, 95% CI: 0.02, 1.1). Threshold analyses indicated early mean intakes $18 kcal/kg significantly increased subsequent mortality. Conclusions: Providing kilocalories per kilogram or grams of protein per kilogram early post-ALI diagnosis at recommended levels was associated with significantly higher hazards for mortality, whereas higher late energy intakes reduced mortality hazards. This timevarying effect violated the Cox proportionality assumption, indicating that feeding trials in similar populations should extend beyond 7 d and use time-varying statistical methods. Future trials are required for corroboration. INTACT was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01921101.Am J Clin Nutr 2017;105:411-6.

Significant advances have been made in our understanding of the septic cascade and our ability to manage patients with severe sepsis and septic shock. Despite these advances, significant morbidity and mortality continue. In addition, there is also considerable impact on the financial and overall function of the patient.

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