Impact of the reduction of the recommended energy target in the ICU on protein delivery and clinical outcomes.

This observational cohort study over two 3 months periods aims to observe the impact of reduced recommended energy targets and the absence of ICU dietitians on nutrient prescription and clinical outcome.

The most important result is that a reduction in energy target in ICU resulted in a predictable but unnoticed reduction of protein delivery. In fact, a reduction in energy target recommendation without changing the feed composition leads to an unplanned and significant reduction in protein delivery. In absence of dieticians this aspect of care was not considered. 

A reduction in energy target to prevent overfeeding is shown to carry a risk of low protein intake, which may be critical in the acute phase of a disease. The lower energy and protein intakes were clinically relevant as they were associated with prolonged ventilation time and an extended hospital stay.

The results confirm the importance of daily monitoring of both energy and protein deliveries in critical care patients.

The article details are the following:

- Title: " Impact of the reduction of the recommended energy target in the ICU on protein delivery and clinical outcomes
- Authors: Berger MM, Soguel L, Charrière M, Thériault B, Pralong F, Schaller MD
- Published in: Clin Nutr. 2017 Feb;36(1):281-287

The study can be downloaded for free at the following link: click here