Mounting Clarity on Enteral Feeding in Critically Ill Patients

Use of a High‐Protein Enteral Nutrition Formula to Increase Protein Delivery to Critically Ill Patients: A Randomized, Blinded, Parallel‐Group, Feasibility Trial

“…The mean daily serum urea was greater in those receiving high protein (14 [7] mmol/L) vs usual care (11 [5] mmol/L) (group difference, 3 [95% CI, 1-5] mmol/L) (Supplementary Figure S3). There were no differences in any other biochemistry data or insulin administration (Supplementary Table S5).…”

“…Many adults with critical illness die, with a proportion of survivors experiencing significant muscle wasting and long‐term functional impairments 1,2 . During the acute phase of critical illness, delivery of energy via the enteral route has not been shown in any large, randomized trial to improve any measured outcome of importance to patients and/or communities 3–7 . Intuitively, increased enteral protein has the potential to reduce muscle wasting and may reduce morbidity and mortality 8,9 …”

“…1,2 During the acute phase of critical illness, delivery of energy via the enteral route has not been shown in any large, randomized trial to improve any measured outcome of importance to patients and/or communities. [3][4][5][6][7] Intuitively, increased enteral protein has the potential to reduce muscle wasting and may reduce morbidity and mortality. 8,9 International guidelines recommend delivering protein doses between 1.2 and 2.0 g/kg/d 10,11 , yet observational studies show patients receive considerably less than this.…”