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Indirect calorimetry (IC)-guided nutrition might positively affect the clinical outcome of critically ill patients. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, our objective was to assess the benefit of isocaloric nutrition guided by IC, compared to hypocaloric nutrition, for critically ill patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). We performed a systematic review of all randomized controlled trials published through January 2021, assessing the benefit of isocaloric nutrition guided by IC. The primary outcome was 28-day all-cause mortality. Secondary outcomes were ICU and 90-day all-cause mortality, rate of nosocomial infections, and adverse events. Four trials evaluating 1052 patients were included. Patients treated with isocaloric nutrition had a lower 28-day mortality rate (risk ratio (RR) 0.79, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.63–0.99, P= 0.04). No between-group difference was found in ICU and 90-day mortality (RR 0.92, 95% CI 0.68–1.23, P= 0.56 and RR 0.88, 95% CI 0.72–1.07; P= 0.2, respectively) and in the rate of nosocomial infections (RR 1.15, 95% CI 0.77–1.72, P= 0.51). A pooled analysis of studies that evaluated the benefit of isocaloric nutrition guided by IC, for critically ill patients in the ICU, has shown reduced 28-day mortality. However, there was no difference in 90-day mortality and nosocomial infection rate.

Objective: To assess whether the respiratory rate to tidal volume ratio (RVR) measured while receiving automatic tube compensation (ATC) [RVRATC] would have a better predictive value as a weaning measure [...]

Nutritional and metabolic disturbances are observed in patients critically ill with Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) patients. The aim of this review is to describe these disturbances during the progression of the disease, from the pre-intubation phase through the ventilated condition to the post extubation phase. The analysis of new data describing the prevalence of malnutrition, the modifications in energy expenditure and body composition are guiding medical nutritional therapy to prevent patients from experiencing severe energy deficit and muscle loss. Rehabilitation may be extremely prolonged and therefore, nutrition is mandatory to decrease this recondition period. This review also comments on the European Society of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (ESPEN) nutritional statements.

The attitudes of clinicians towards admitting patients with AIDS to intensive care units at times of acute illness may be reflected in the fact that, while the number of AIDS patients and hospital admissions has vastly increased, the number of intensive care admissions has decreased. The decreased use of intensive care beds may indicate that clinicians consider such hospitalizations to be futile since the overall mortality of AIDS approaches 90 percent. By 1986 an estimated 1.5 million Americans were thought to be infected by the AIDS virus. It is anticipated that between 70 and 80 percent of these individuals will eventually develop AIDS. The survival rate of AIDS patients is confounded, in part, because of their susceptibility to opportunistic infections, such as Kaposi sarcoma (14 month average survival rate), Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (11 month survival), cryptococcal meningitis (7 month survival), and mycobacterium avium-intracellulare (4 month survival rate). However, recent drug therapies, including AZT, have been found to reduce the incidence of these opportunistic infections and prolong the lives of patients with AIDS. Re-educating clinicians about the value of using intensive care units for select AIDS patients (such as those on AZT therapy) may further prolong life. The use of parenteral nutrition (tube feeding) is important in reversing the wasting syndrome which is frequently seen in these patients; parenteral nutrition can best be supported in intensive care units. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Objective: The authors studied weight gain mechanisms and energy balance in patients treated with olanzapine. Method: The body mass index of male schizophrenic adolescent inpatients treated with olanzapine (N=10) and of 10 matched patients treated with haloperidol (N=10) were measured at baseline and after 4 weeks of treatment. For the patients treated with olanzapine, caloric intake, resting energy expenditure, and physical activity (determined through accelerometry and heart rate monitoring) were assessed at baseline and after 4 weeks of treatment. Results: Body mass index significantly increased in those treated with olanzapine but not in those given haloperidol. The increase in body mass index was due to an increase in caloric intake without change in diet composition. Olanzapine had no significant effect on resting energy expenditure. Daily energy expenditure was very low before and after treatment. Conclusions: Olanzapine-induced weight gain is associated with a general increase in caloric intake.

The use of high flow nasal cannula (HFNC) oxygen therapy is common in patients with respiratory distress to prevent intubation or ensure successful extubation. However, these critical patients also need medical nutritional support and practitioners are often reluctant to prescribe oral or enteral feeding, leading to a decrease in energy and protein intake. Vomiting and aspiration are the major concerns. A new technology detecting the presence and duration of gastro-esophageal reflux and preventing aspiration in real-time has been developed and our case shows how HFNC oxygen therapy exposes patients to significantly more reflux events as compared to mechanical ventilation. This is the first description of this technique observed in critical care.

The daily practice requires the use of indirect calorimetry to define the energy requirements of intensive care patients. In the time of COVID-19 pandemic, this practice is challenging. The purpose of this methodology paper is to provide practical guidance to health professionals to perform this measurement safely, using various metabolic monitors.

The aim to avoid underfeeding has resulted in relative overfeeding of patients in the early phase of critical illness, worsening instead of improving outcomes. Negative RCTs have triggered mechanistic studies to explain possible mechanisms explaining harm, allowing more scientific interpretation of many unexpected results during the last decades. Whereas individualized evidence-based approach to nutrition is still only rarely available, discussing and understanding of pathophysiological mechanisms should assist in decision-making in clinical practice. Further exploration of mechanisms of harm and benefit, as well as development of new technologies are needed to better plan future nutrition studies.

Persistent critical illness (PCI) is a syndrome in which the acute presenting problem has been stabilized, but the patient's clinical state does not allow ICU discharge. The burden associated with PCI is substantial. The most obvious marker of PCI is prolonged ICU length of stay (LOS) – >10 days. Urea to Creatinine ratio (UCr) has been suggested as an early marker of PCI development.

In a prospective multicenter study on adult patients with acute kidney injury (AKI) receiving enteral and/or parenteral nutrition, administered carbohydrates and lipids were compared to the prescribed amounts, as well as to substrate utilization data derived from indirect calorimetry measurements.

Gastro-esophageal reflux (GER) is common in ventilated patients and is a cause of ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP). The novel persistaltic feeding tube (PFT) uses simulated peristalsis to seal the esophagus to fluid moving in a retrograde manner, whilst allowing normal drainage of fluid and secretions moving in an ante-grade manner. This study describes the first trial of the PFT in ventilated patients.

Vasopressin has become an important vasopressor drug while treating a critically ill patient to maintain adequate mean arterial pressure. Diabetes insipidus (DI) is a rare syndrome characterized by the excretion of a large volume of diluted urine, inappropriate for water homeostasis. We noticed that several COVID19 patients developed excessive polyuria suggestive of DI, with a concomitant plasma sodium-level increase and/or low urine osmolality. We noticed a temporal relationship between vasopressin treatment cessation and polyuria periods. We reviewed those cases to better describe this phenomenon.

Estimates of body metabolism are useful with debilitated or seriously ill patients because they allow assessment of the degree of tissue breakdown in these patients. Although instruments have become available in recent years which allow the measurement of both carbon dioxide production and oxygen consumption in these patients, the conventional method for estimating the metabolic rate includes the collection of 24 hour urine samples which are then analyzed for the quantity of nitrogen urea. In clinical practice, collection of accurate 24 hour urine samples in seriously ill patients is essentially impossible. The current experiment presents a new mathematical method for the estimation of body metabolism that only includes the collection of carbon dioxide and oxygen and eliminates the need to collect urinary urea. The method has been found to produce minimal errors in the estimation of the rate of oxidation of carbohydrate and fat in critically ill patients. It is highly accurate for the determination of energy expenditure and is considerate adequate both for clinical practice and research. The determination of these parameters in critically ill patients was found to vary over an 8 to 10-fold range.

Nutrition is one of the foundations for supporting and treating critically ill patients. Nutritional support provides calories, protein, electrolytes, vitamins, and trace elements via the enteral or parenteral route. Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common and devastating problem in critically ill patients and has significant metabolic and nutritional consequences. Moreover, renal replacement therapy (RRT), whatever the modality used, also profoundly impacts metabolism. RRT and the effect of the extracorporeal circuit impede the evaluation of a patient's energy requirements by clinicians. Substrates added and removed within the extracorporeal treatment are not always taken into consideration, making treatment even more challenging. Furthermore, evidence on nutritional support during continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) is scarce, and there are no clinical guidelines for nutrition adaptations during CRRT in critically ill patients. Most recommendations are based on expert opinions. This review discusses the complex interaction between nutritional support and CRRT and presents some milestones for nutritional support in critically ill patients on CRRT.

The major ethical dilemma regarding feeding a person at the end of their life in Israel is related to the medical team's ability to not provide food. In addition to the medical indications, the decision-making process needs to include ethnic considerations, religious positions and a strong collective memory related to the Holocaust and post-Holocaust behavior. An Expert group of professionals regularly faced with these dilemmas gathered to address this issue. The group included Nutrition Specialists, Neurologists, Geriatricians, Oncologists and Specialists in palliative care, Nurses, Dieticians, Speech therapists but also Lawyers and Religion experts.

Communication with ventilated patients in the Intensive care unit (ICU) is challenging. This may lead to anxiety and frustration, potentially contributing to the development of delirium. Various technologies, such as eye-tracking devices, have been employed to facilitate communication with varying grades of success. The EyeControl-Med device is a novel technology that delivers audio content and allows patients to interact by eye movements and could potentially allow for better communication in this setting. The aim of this exploratory concept study was to assess communication capabilities and delirium incidence using the EyeControl-Med device in critically ill patients unable to generate speech.

Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have a major role in the making of evidence-based guidelines. The aim of the present study was to critically appraise the RCTs that addressed nutritional interventions in patients with cystic fibrosis. Embase, PubMed, and the Cochrane Library were systematically searched until July 2015. Methodology and reporting of nutritional RCTs were evaluated by the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) checklist and additional dimensions relevant to patients with CF. Fifty-one RCTs were included. Full details on methods were provided in a minority of studies. The mean duration of intervention was <6 months. 56.9% of the RCTs did not define a primary outcome; 70.6% of studies did not provide details on sample size calculation; and only 31.4% reported on the subgroup or separated between important subgroups. The examined RCTs were characterized by a weak methodology, a small number of patients with no sample size calculations, a relatively short intervention, and many times did not examine the outcomes that are important to the patient. Improvement over the years has been minor.

Gastro-esophageal Reflux (GER) in mechanically ventilated patients is a contributing factor in the development of Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia (VAP). In this paper, we report pilot studies in an animal model and in human volunteers describing a new Peristaltic Feeding Tube (PFT) comprised of three balloons integrated into a nasogastric tube which are inflated and deflated in a co-ordinated sequential fashion to promote ante-grade passage of luminal contents through the esophagus into the stomach.

The use of extracorporeal life support in trauma casualties is limited by concerns regarding hemorrhage, particularly in the presence of traumatic brain injury (TBI). We report the use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO)interventional lung assist (iLA) as salvage therapy in trauma patients. High-flow technique without anticoagulation was used in patients with coagulopathy or TBI.

Recent studies on the optimal modalities to feed patients during the ICU stay show divergent results. The level and the timing of energy provision is a critical issue, associated with the clinical outcome. These results questioned the clinical relevance of the recent guidelines issued by American, Canadian and European academic societies.

The complex metabolic, vascular and inflammatory perturbations that characterize diabetes mellitus often lead to progressive albuminuria, renal injury and dysfunction (diabetic nephropathy [DN]), and diabetes is the leading cause of end-stage renal disease in the US and Europe. Diet has an important role in cardiometabolic disorders and its potential influence on DN is of interest. Fatty acids are a major source of energy, but in excess, fatty acids (particularly saturated fatty acids) can induce lipotoxicity. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) confer protection against cardiovascular disease—the major cause of death in patients with DN—by virtue of their antihyperlipidemic, antihypertensive, anti-inflammatory and other properties. Omega-6 PUFAs are also cardioprotective. However, a significant proportion of adults consume insufficient quantities of these essential nutrients. This Review describes the role of omega-3 and omega-6 PUFAs in nutrition and metabolism, with a focus on experimental, epidemiologic and clinical studies that have investigated their renoprotective effect in patients with diabetes. Results from a number of studies suggest, but do not firmly establish, that long-chain omega-3 PUFAs (found in fish oil) reduce albuminuria in the setting of DN. Intake of omega-6 fatty acids is associated with reduced albuminuria in experimental settings and in epidemiologic studies of DN. Although PUFAs do not seem to attenuate glomerular dysfunction, insufficient evidence exists to rule out such an effect. We feel that further research is needed into the potential of PUFA consumption and supplementation in DN.

A discrepancy has emerged between experts' recommendations on how to feed ICU patients according to their requirements using parenteral nutrition, if enteral nutrition is not reaching the target. This review describes the differences in the recent guidelines issued by the American Society of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (ASPEN) and the European Society of Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (ESPEN) regarding these aspects.

The acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a severe illness that is often the cause of death in ICU patients. A safe and effective intervention for this condition is lacking. Fish oil-based enteral nutrition [rich in n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and antioxidants] improved clinical outcomes in a previous trial on ARDS patients but was ineffective, or even harmful in other studies utilizing different fish oil formulae (rich in n-3 PUFAs and arginine) in severely ill ICU patients. Until most recently, consistent evidence that enteral n-3 PUFA is therapeutic in ARDS was lacking.

The critically ill patient is undergoing episodes of ischemia reperfusion, systemic inflammatory response syndrome, sepsis and multiorgan failure. These episodes are associated with lower levels of antioxidants in specific populations such as acute pancreatitis, head trauma, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) or acute lung injury patients. This review will deal with the definition of oxidative stress, the reactive oxygen species that are produced by the tissues during the oxidative stress, the antioxidant capacity of the ICU patients, but also the role of the glucose control in the regulation of anti oxidant therapy in addition to trace elements, vitamins and Nacetyl- cysteine. A special accent will be given to supplements such as polyphenols for the prevention and the therapy of oxidative stress in specific situations such as organ transplantation or hemorrhagic shock.

Severe brain injury that progresses to brain death may result in a series of insults, including hemodynamic instability, endocrine disturbances, and the release of chemokines and cytokines, which may have a deleterious effect on the quality of donor organs so that many are lost for transplantation. In addition, during the harvesting, preservation, and reperfusion stages, organs are subject to ischemia-reperfusion injury, which may impair the functioning of harvested organs. These processes also result in marked alterations in the nutritional status of the brain-dead organ donor. Because organ energy and redox status are closely related to nutritional status, organ dysfunction may be further compromised. Appropriate nutritional support can prevent depletion of micro- and macronutrients. In addition, experimental evidence suggests that the use of antioxidants may decrease the oxidative stress as well as the effects of ischemia reperfusion injury. We review the effects of nutritional depletion and discuss the potential modulating role of nutritional support using nutraceuticals, in particular polyphenols, fish oil, and glutamine, in preventing organ dysfunction.

We investigated the effect of octreotide in the treatment of severe acute pancreatitis in a case–control study. Experimental and clinical studies on the effect of octreotide in the treatment of acute pancreatitis have shown controversial results. Since January 1992, we have been conducting a prospective randomized study on the effect of octreotide in severe acute pancreatitis, in three hospitals in Israel. The entering criteria included three or more of the Ranson prognostic signs and CT findings of severe pancreatitis. Patients were randomly assigned to conservative treatment either with or without octreotide (0.1 mg subcutaneously three times a day). The end points of the study included: complication rate (ARDS, sepsis, renal failure, pseudocyst, fistula, and abscess), length of hospital stay, and mortality. From January 1992 to December 1996, 60 patients entered the study. After evaluating the files, 10 patients were excluded due to failure to meet the entering criteria, incomplete data, or incorrect diagnosis. Of the remaining 50 patients, 25 were assigned to octreotide (treatment group) and 25 to conservative treatment only (control group). The two groups matched with regard to age, sex, etiology, and severity of the disease. The complication rate was lower in the treatment group with regard to sepsis (24% vs 76%, P= 0.0002) and ARDS (28% vs 56%, P= 0.04). The hospital stay was shorter in the treatment group (20.6 vs 33.1 days, P= 0.04). Two patients died in the treatment group and eight in the control group (P< 0.019). These results suggest that octreotide may have a beneficial effect in the treatment of severe acute pancreatitis.

We conducted a prospective case series study to investigate the causes of and factors influencing morbidity and mortality in 102 consecutive patients after elective infrarenal abdominal aneurysm (AAA) surgery between 1992 and 1995. Preoperative factors (demographics, risk factor indexes, electrocardiographic findings, ejection fraction, and stress imaging scans were indicated) and intraoperative factors (duration of surgery, size of aneurysm, complications, units of blood transfused, and additional procedures performed) were recorded. Patients were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) for at least 24 hours and followed for 30 days postoperatively. The mortality rate was 4.9%, due in all cases to multiorgan dysfunction syndrome (MODS). Death was preceded by colon ischemia (two patients), intraabdominal bleeding (two patients), or sepsis (one patient). Only the preoperative blood urea nitrogen correlated with mortality (

We report a previously undescribed fatal toxicity in a 54 years old female patient suffering from a locally advanced adenocarcinoma of the rectum. She received standard neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy followed by an investigational preoperative chemoimmunotherapy regimen (mFOLFOX6 and nivolumab). On day 12 of the first cycle the patient became acutely ill with excruciating abdominal pain and a rapidly downhill course. At laparotomy severe retroperitoneal and mesenteric serositis was found with diffuse petechial lesions; no other gross pathology was evident; biopsies did not show vasculitis. The patient expired within 24 h from surgery.

Donor bacteremia with severe sepsis, especially due to gram-negative organisms, has been considered a contraindication to transplantation. Over a 6-month period we prospectively collected standardized data on all brain-dead, heart-beating organ donors with gram negative bacteremia and septic shock and the recipients of their organs in hospitals throughout Israel. Donors were treated with appropriate antibiotics for at least 48 hr prior to organ retrieval while recipients received 7 days of culture-specific antibiotics following transplantation. In total, 12 organs were transplanted (5 kidneys, 2 livers, 3 lungs and 2 hearts) from 3 donors with Acinetobacter baumanniibacteremia and septic shock. All patients were alive with good graft function 60 days following transplantation, apart from one of the heart recipients who died of primary nonfunction on the second postoperative day. Two recipients developed postoperative infections, none with Acinetobacter sp.(one Pseudomonas sp. urinary tract infection, one Klebsiella sp. central venous catheter sepsis).

Protein calorie malnutrition is a concern in critically ill patients. Prospective studies to define the ideal calorie/protein intake to administer not only to meet requirements but also to change outcome are lacking. Strack van Schijndel and colleagues have observed an improvement in survival when patients reach the calorie target according to indirect calorimetry and a protein intake of greater than 1.2 g/kg per day. Their prospective observational study sheds new light on this field.

Automated mapping of lung sound distribution is a novel area of interest currently investigated in mechanically ventilated, critically ill patients. The objective of the present study was to assess changes in thoracic sound distribution resulting from changes in positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP). Repeatability of automated lung sound measurements was also evaluated.

Tolerance of a spontaneous breathing trial is an evidence-based strategy to predict successful weaning from mechanical ventilation. Some patients may not tolerate the trial because of the respiratory load imposed by the endotracheal tube, so varying levels of respiratory support are widely used during the trial. Automatic tube compensation (ATC), specifically developed to overcome the imposed work of breathing because of artificial airways, appears ideally suited for the weaning process. We further evaluated the use of ATC in this setting.