Nutrition in intensive care in adults review of the literature and development of evidence based feeding protocols.

Sarah Ikram
Erfan Hussain, Aga Khan University
Ali Bin Sarwar Zubairi, Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, The Aga Khan University

Abstract

The subject of nutrition in intensive care is broad.Thenutrition support therapy plays a crucial role in the management of critically ill patients. This review was carried out to address the existing controversies and to recognise the current practice guidelines for the management of nutrition in intensive care units (ICUs) in adults. A PubMed search was carried out for clinical trials addressing the current nutrition practice in ICUs, recommendations for calculating energy requirements and efficacy of an algorithmic approach to nutritional delivery in an ICU setting. Algorithms were developed and modified for the practice of nutrition in an adult ICU in a quaternary care hospital in Pakistan.