J Clin Nutr.
2016 Aug;8(2):66-70. 10.15747/jcn.2016.8.2.66.
The Effects of Early Enteral Nutrition in Patients: A Role of Nutrition Support Team
- Affiliations
-
- 1Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Gangneung Asan Hospital, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Gangneung, Korea.
- 2Department of Surgery, Gangneung Asan Hospital, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Gangneung, Korea. cibax@gnah.co.kr
- 3Department of Pharmacy, Gangneung Asan Hospital, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Gangneung, Korea.
- 4Department of Nursing, Gangneung Asan Hospital, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Gangneung, Korea.
- 5Department of Nutrition Support Team, Gangneung Asan Hospital, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Gangneung, Korea.
- KMID: 2351017
- DOI: http://doi.org/10.15747/jcn.2016.8.2.66
Abstract
- PURPOSE
The study examined the effects of early enteral nutrition on the patients' length of stay in an intensive care unit (ICU), length of stay and mortality rate.
METHODS
A retrospective design was employed with a total of 461 patients (mean age=69.9±15.6 years; 253 males; 208 females). They were divided into two groups according to when they received enteral feeding: an "early enteral nutrition" (EEN) group of 148 patients (32.1%) who received enteral feeding within 48 hours of their arrival at the hospital and a "delayed enteral nutrition" (DEN) group of 313 patients (67.9%) who received enteral feeding at some point after 48 hours of their arrival at the hospital. The EEN group and control group were similar in terms of age, sex, body mass index, and underlying diseases.
RESULTS
The EEN group's total length of stay in hospital was shorter (23.29±27.19 days) than that of the control group (36.74±32.24 days); the difference was significant (P<0.001). The EEN group also showed a shorter length of stay in the ICU (13.67±22.77 days) than the DEN group (17.46±21.02 days) and a lower mortality rate (17.6%) than the control group (18.8%), but these differences were not significant.
CONCLUSION
The study found that early enteral nutrition treatment reduced total length of stay in hospital significantly. The findings suggest that early enteral nutrition treatment plays an important role in the patients' recovery and prognosis.
