ABSTRACT
Rationale: Coronavirus 2019 disease (COVID-19) can develop acute respiratory failure symptoms and carries a high risk of malnutrition, due to hyperinflammatory and hypercatabolic state and to the heavy state of fatigue. We aim to explain the nutritional management of non-critically ill hospitalized patients with COVID-19 carried out by dietitians in an Italian single center highly affected by COVID-19. Methods: Fifty-three non-critically ill patients hospitalized into the Civil Hospital of Sanremo, Italy, were considered at risk of malnutrition using a short-age adjusted NRS-2002. Dietitians evaluated weight, height and malnutrition signs. Nutrition-related laboratory parameters were collected and energy needs were estimated. All patients were administered with a fractionated pureed diet enriched with ready pasteurized high-protein and high-calories pureed meals in order to reduce energy expenditure during feed. Eighteen out of 53 patients were supplemented with Oral Nutritional Supplements (ONS) because they did not reach their energy needs with diet alone. Results: The pureed diet and ONS were well tolerated and accepted by the 92.5% of patients. Thirty-two out of 53 (60.4%) non-ICU patients reached their nutritional needs with the personalized nutritional management. Nine up to 21 (42.9%) patients who did not reach nutritional target died, while only 1 up to 31 (3.1%) patients at target died during hospitalization (p<0.001). Conclusion: The implementation of appropriate nutritional strategies in hospitalized COVID-19 patients, even in non-critical area, is a pivotal point to reduce complications and improve clinical outcomes. The administration of fractionated pureed diet and ONS is effective to reach energy needs of malnourished non-critically ill patients affected by COVID-19. References: T. Singhal, A Review of Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19), Indian J. Pediatr. 87 (2020) 281–286. M. Merad, J.C. Martin, Pathological inflammation in patients with COVID-19: a key role for monocytes and macrophages, Nat. Rev. Immunol. (2020). Disclosure of Interest: None declared.