Foundations of Nutritional Support in Critical Care
Foundations
of Nutritional Support in Critical Care
By Baylee Rogge and edited by Bridget Storm, MA, RD, LDN,
CNSC
What Does It Mean to Require Critical Care?
The Critical Role of Nutrition in Recovery
People who are in critical care are highly catabolic, using all
available energy stores to heal the body. It can be easy for someone in a state
of stress to develop acute malnutrition. This is why nutrition support in a
critical care setting is crucial for restoring one’s health. Nutrition support will not look the same for every patient and needs to be personalized for
each individual. Since these patients are catabolic there is an increase in the
breakdown of their lean muscle mass. A loss of 40% of lean muscle mass is
generally fatal. Taking action by monitoring nitrogen balance and providing
optimal protein is crucial.
Powering Recovery: Optimizing Nutrtitonal Goals in the
ICU
Since patients are in a high metabolic stress situation, the
goal of nutrition support is delivering sufficient calories, while being
careful to avoid overfeeding. Overfeeding of total calories can increase CO2
output and complicate ventilator weaning. In many critical care populations,
especially among those with obesity, the recommendation in the first two weeks
may be hypocaloric nutrition. It can be challenging to navigate the balance
between minimizing losses while also avoiding overfeeding. Hypocaloric feeding
should always be higher in protein, as preventing muscle wasting and maintaining
lean muscle mass is crucial for recovery. Typically, protein will be
significantly increased, up to 2.0-2.5g/kg daily in some cases.
Balancing Fluid Status
To ensure that
patients are properly hydrated their fluid needs are calculated based on their
weight and age. Depending on the patients’ needs, fluids can be increased or
restricted. This can be determined by looking at multiple factors such as someone’s
past medical history and electrolyte levels. Patients that are on dialysis with
renal disease are more likely to be restricted since their kidneys are unable
to filter their fluids properly. Electrolytes like sodium can be a huge
indicator for determining someone’s hydration status. Having sodium levels less
than 135 mEq/L can be a sign of overhydration and having sodium levels greater
than 145 mEq/L can be a sign of dehydration. In a chronic situation, for those
with hyponatremia the target rate of correction to prevent osmotic demyelination
is not to exceed 6-8 mEq/L/d. For those with hypernatremia the target rate of
correction to prevent neurologic impairment and cerebral edema is not to exceed
10 mEq/L/d.
Enteral flushes can be provided to help maintain hydration
status once the patient is through the initial resuscitation period. It is
common for critical care patients to receive substantial fluid resuscitation
early in the ICU stay, further complicating fluid needs assessment. Patients
can become quickly fluid overloaded, while also intravascularly dehydrated due
to diuretic needs. When in doubt, fluid requirements can be deferred to the
intensivist or nephrologist.
Nutritional Roadblocks
While the need to provide optimal nutrition to minimize
losses is foundational to all ICU patients, in critical care there are many
possible challenges that may arise in patients with diverse and evolving
conditions. Gastrointestinal issues, variability in facility resources, and
patient cultural diversity and family needs can significantly impact
nutritional plan of care. Check out our next blog to see how we break down
challenges in critical care.
Interested in increasing your proficiency in nutrition support? Check out our CNSC Study Guide and our training guide: Feeding the Critically Ill & GI Compromised.
References:
1.
Mueller CM, et al (Eds). The ASPEN Adult
Nutrition Support Core Curriculum, 3rd Edition. ASPEN 2017.
2.
Compher C, Bingham AL, McCall M, et al.
Guidelines for the Provision and Assessment of Nutrition Support Therapy in the
Adult Critically Ill Patient: The American Society for Parenteral and Enteral
Nutrition. JPEN. 2022; 1-30. https://doi.org/10.1002/jpen.2267
3.
McClave, SA et al. Guidelines for the Provision
and Assessment of Nutrition Support Therapy in the Adult Critically Ill
Patient: Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) and American Society for
Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (A.S.P.E.N.). JPEN. 2016; 40 (2):
159-211.
4.
Dresen E, Notz Q, Menger J, et al. What the
clinician needs to know about medical nutrition therapy in critically ill
patients in 2023: a narrative review. Nutr Clin Pract. 2023; 38: 479-498.
doi:10.1002/ncp.10984
5.
Singer, P, et al. ESPEN practical and partially
revised guideline: Clinical nutrition in the intensive care unit. Clinical
Nutrition, 2023; 42 (9):1671 – 1689.
6.
Cogle SV, Hallum M, Mulherin DW. Applying the
2022 ASPEN adult nutrition support guidelines in a 2024 ICU. Nutr Clin Pract.
2024; 39 (5): 1055-1068. doi:10.1002/ncp.11188
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