Ultrasound-based assessment of gastric volume in enterally fed critically ILL patients

Enteral feeding via gastric tube has become part of routine care for critically ill patients. However, studies investigating the optimal volume and duration of nutrition in these patients are lacking. Moreover, underestimation of residual gastric volume due to gastric emptying disorders provides increased pulmonary aspiration risk. In this context, gastric ultrasonography allows qualitative and quantitative assessment of gastric contents and volume in nonobese and obese patients using an ultrasound based measurement of the cross-sectional area (CSA) of the antrum.