Pierre-Louis Declercq, François Tinturier, Gaël Piton, Emmanuelle Mercier, Jean Reignier, Jean-Paul Mira, Elisabeth Coupez, Jean-Claude Lacherade, Jeremy Pasco, Emmanuelle Jaillette, Stéphane Gaudry, Michel Sirodot, Didier Thevenin, Saad Nseir, Malika Balduyck, Michel Djibré, Jean-Baptiste Lascarrou, Amélie Le Gouge, Farid Zerimech, Centre Hospitalier Régional Universitaire [Lille] (CHRU Lille), Université Lille 2 - Faculté de Médecine, Université de Tours (UT), CHU Trousseau [Tours], Centre Hospitalier Régional Universitaire de Tours (CHRU Tours), Centre hospitalier universitaire de Nantes (CHU Nantes), Université de Nantes (UN), Centre Hospitalier Départemental - Hôpital de La Roche-sur-Yon, Service de réanimation médicale polyvalente [CHU Cochin], Assistance publique - Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP) (AP-HP)-Hôpital Cochin [AP-HP], Assistance publique - Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP) (AP-HP), Centre hospitalier de Dieppe, Centre Hospitalier Annecy-Genevois [Saint-Julien-en-Genevois], Centre Hospitalier Régional Universitaire de Besançon (CHRU Besançon), Marqueurs pronostiques et facteurs de régulations des pathologies cardiaques et vasculaires - UFC ( EA 3920) (PCVP / CARDIO), Centre Hospitalier Régional Universitaire de Besançon (CHRU Besançon)-Université de Franche-Comté (UFC), Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté [COMUE] (UBFC)-Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté [COMUE] (UBFC), CHU Amiens-Picardie, Unité de soins intensifs [Clermont Ferrand], CHU Clermont-Ferrand-CHU Gabriel Montpied [Clermont-Ferrand], CHU Clermont-Ferrand, Hôpital Avicenne [AP-HP], Des Maladies Rénales Rares aux Maladies Fréquentes, Remodelage et Réparation, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM)-Sorbonne Université (SU), Service de Réanimation et USC Médico-Chirurgicale [CHU Tenon], CHU Tenon [AP-HP], Sorbonne Université (SU)-Assistance publique - Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP) (AP-HP)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Assistance publique - Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP) (AP-HP), and Université de Tours
Background Microaspiration of gastric and oropharyngeal secretions is the main mechanism of entry of bacteria into the lower respiratory tract in intubated critically ill patients. The aim of this study is to determine the impact of enteral nutrition, as compared with parenteral nutrition, on abundant microaspiration of gastric contents and oropharyngeal secretions. Methods Planned ancillary study of the randomized controlled multicenter NUTRIREA2 trial. Patients with shock receiving invasive mechanical ventilation were randomized to receive early enteral or parenteral nutrition. All tracheal aspirates were collected during the 48 h following randomization. Abundant microaspiration of gastric contents and oropharyngeal secretions was defined as the presence of significant levels of pepsin (> 200 ng/ml) and salivary amylase (> 1685 UI/ml) in > 30% of tracheal aspirates. Results A total of 151 patients were included (78 and 73 patients in enteral and parenteral nutrition groups, respectively), and 1074 tracheal aspirates were quantitatively analyzed for pepsin and amylase. Although vomiting rate was significantly higher (31% vs 15%, p = 0.016), constipation rate was significantly lower (6% vs 21%, p = 0.010) in patients with enteral than in patients with parenteral nutrition. No significant difference was found regarding other patient characteristics. The percentage of patients with abundant microaspiration of gastric contents was significantly lower in enteral than in parenteral nutrition groups (14% vs 36%, p = 0.004; unadjusted OR 0.80 (95% CI 0.69, 0.93), adjusted OR 0.79 (0.76, 0.94)). The percentage of patients with abundant microaspiration of oropharyngeal secretions was significantly higher in enteral than in parenteral nutrition groups (74% vs 54%, p = 0.026; unadjusted OR 1.21 (95% CI 1.03, 1.44), adjusted OR 1.23 (1.01, 1.48)). No significant difference was found in percentage of patients with ventilator-associated pneumonia between enteral (8%) and parenteral (10%) nutrition groups (HR 0.78 (0.26, 2.28)). Conclusions Our results suggest that enteral and parenteral nutrition are associated with high rates of microaspiration, although oropharyngeal microaspiration was more common with enteral nutrition and gastric microaspiration was more common with parenteral nutrition. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03411447. Registered 18 July 2017. Retrospectively registered.