Gastric residual volume during enteral nutrition in ICU patients: the REGANE study.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effects of increasing the limit for gastric residual volume (GRV) in the adequacy of enteral nutrition. Frequency of gastrointestinal complications and outcome variables were secondary goals. DESIGN: An open, prospective, randomized study. SETTING: Twenty-eight intensive care units in Spain. PATIENTS: Three hundred twenty-nine intubated and mechanically ventilated adult patients with enteral nutrition (EN). INTERVENTIONS: EN was administered by nasogastric tube. A protocol for management of EN-related gastrointestinal complications was used. Patients were randomized to be included in a control (GRV = 200 ml) or in study group (GRV = 500 ml). MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: Diet volume ratio (diet received/diet prescribed), incidence of gastrointestinal complications, ICU-acquired pneumonia, days on mechanical ventilation and ICU length of stay were the study variables. Gastrointestinal complications were higher in the control group (63.6 vs. 47.8%, P = 0.004), but the only difference was in the frequency of high GRV (42.4 vs. 26.8%, P = 0.003). The diet volume ratio was higher for the study group only during the 1st week (84.48 vs. 88.20%) (P = 0.0002). Volume ratio was similar for both groups in weeks 3 and 4. Duration of mechanical ventilation, ICU length of stay or frequency of pneumonia were similar. CONCLUSIONS: Diet volume ratio of mechanically ventilated patients treated with enteral nutrition is not affected by increasing the limit in GRV. A limit of 500 ml is not associated with adverse effects in gastrointestinal complications or in outcome variables. A value of 500 ml can be equally recommended as a normal limit for GRV.

[Recommendations for nutritional assessment and specialized nutritional support of critically ill patients]. / Recomendaciones para la valoración nutricional y el soporte nutricional especializado de los pacientes críticos.

Due to the characteristics of critically ill patients, elaborating recommendations on nutritional support for these patients is difficult. Usually the time of onset of nutritional support or its features are not well established, so that its application is based on experts' opinion. In the present document, recommendations formulated by the Metabolism and Nutrition Working Group of the Spanish Society of Intensive and Critical Medicine and Coronary Units (SEMICYUC) are presented. Recommendations are based on the literature analysis and further discussion by the working group members in order to define, consensually, the more relevant issues of metabolic and nutritional support of patients in a critical condition. Several clinical situations have been considered which are developed in the following articles of this publication. The present recommendations aim at providing a guideline for the less experienced clinicians when considering the metabolic and nutritional issues of critically ill patients.

[Artificial nutrition in intestinal failure: short bowel syndrome. Inflammatory Bowel Disease]. / Nutrición artificial en la insuficiencia intestinal: síndrome de intestino corto. Enfermedad inflamatoria intestinal.

Large intestinal resection produces a sufficient number of impairments as to require specialized nutritional support. Basic treatment measures, especially during the acute phase after intestinal resection or in the presence of severe complications in patients with short bowel syndrome, include fluid and electrolytes reposition and nutritional support implementation in order to prevent hyponutrition. Enteral nutrition is the main stimulating factor for adaptation of the remaining bowel. However, its application has some difficulties during the acute phase, and thus patients must be frequently treated with parenteral nutrition. The presence of hyponutrition may be also important in patients with intestinal inflammatory disease. Nutritional support is indicated in these cases as the primary treatment modality for the disease, as hyponutrition treatment, or as perioperative treatment in patients needing surgery. In spite of the digestive pathology, there are data to recommend enteral nutrition as the initial method for nutrients provision in patients that need it.

Recomendaciones para la valoración nutricional y el soporte nutricional especializado de los pacientes críticos / Recommendations for nutritional assessment and specialized nutritional support of critically ill patients

Debido a las características de los pacientes críticos, la elaboración de recomendaciones sobre el soporte nutricional en estos pacientes es difícil. En muchas ocasiones no está claramente establecido el momento de inicio del soporte nutricional ni las características del mismo, por lo que su aplicación está basada en opiniones de expertos. En el presente documento se presentan las recomendaciones elaboradas por el Grupo de Trabajo de Metabolismo y Nutrición de la sociedad Española de Medicina Intensiva, Crítica y Unidades Coronarias (SEMICYUC). Las recomendaciones están basadas en el análisis de la literatura y en la posterior discusión entre los miembros del grupo de trabajo para definir, mediante consenso, los aspectos más relevantes del soporte metabólico y nutricional de los pacientes en situación crítica. Se han considerado diferentes situaciones clínicas, que se desarrollan en los artículos siguientes de esta publicación. Las presentes recomendaciones pretenden servir de guía para los clínicos con menor experiencia en la consideración de los aspectos metabólicos y nutricionales de los pacientes críticos (AU)

Due to the characteristics of critically ill patients, elaborating recommendations on nutritional support for these patients is difficult. Usually the time of onset of nutritional support or its features are not well established, so that its application is based on experts' opinion. In the present document, recommendations formulated by the Metabolism and Nutrition Working Group of the Spanish Society of Intensive and Critical Medicine and Coronary Units (SEMICYUC) are presented. Recommendations are based on the literature analysis and further discussion by the working group members in order to define, consensually, the more relevant issues of metabolic and nutritional support of patients in a critical condition. Several clinical situations have been considered which are developed in the following articles of this publication. The present recommendations aim at providing a guideline for the less experienced clinicians when considering the metabolic and nutritional issues of critically ill patients (AU)

Nutrición artificial en la insuficiencia intestinal: síndrome de intestino corto. Enfermedad inflamatoria intestinal / Artificial nutrition in intestinal failure: short bowel syndrome. Intestinal inflammatory disease

La resección intestinal amplia produce suficientes alteraciones como para requerir soporte nutricional especializado. Las medidas básicas de tratamiento, especialmente en la fase aguda tras la resección intestinal o en presencia de complicaciones graves sobre pacientes con intestino corto, incluyen la repleción de fluidos y electrolitos y la instauración de soporte nutricional con el fin de prevenir la malnutrición. La nutrición enteral es el principal factor estimulador de la adaptación del intestino remanente. No obstante, su aplicación presenta dificultades en las fases agudas, por lo que los pacientes deben ser tratados frecuentemente con nutrición parenteral. La presencia de desnutrición puede ser también de importancia en los pacientes con enfermedad inflamatoria intestinal. El soporte nutricional está indicado en estos casos como tratamiento primario de la enfermedad, como tratamiento de la desnutrición o como tratamiento perioperatorio en los pacientes que requieren cirugía. A pesar de la patología digestiva, existen datos para recomendar la nutrición enteral como método inicial para el aporte de nutrientes en los pacientes que lo precisen (AU)

Large intestinal resection produces a sufficient number of impairments as to require specialized nutritional support. Basic treatment measures, especially during the acute phase after intestinal resection or in the presence of severe complications in patients with short bowel syndrome, include fluid and electrolytes reposition and nutritional support implementation in order to prevent hyponutrition. Enteral nutrition is the main stimulating factor for adaptation of the remaining bowel. However, its application has some difficulties during the acute phase, and thus patients must be frequently treated with parenteral nutrition. The presence of hyponutrition may be also important in patients with intestinal inflammatory disease. Nutritional support is indicated in these cases as the primary treatment modality for the disease, as hyponutrition treatment, or as perioperative treatment in patients needing surgery. In spite of the digestive pathology, there are data to recommend enteral nutrition as the initial method for nutrients provision in patients that need it (AU)

Características epidemiológicas y clínicas de los traumatismos severos en Andalucía. Estudio multicéntrico GITAN / Epidemiological and clinical manifestations of severe injuries in Andalucia. GITAN multicenter study

Objetivo. Describir las características epidemiológicas, mecanismo de lesión, características clínicas y severidad de los enfermos con traumatismos graves en nuestra región, a través de un registro de traumatismo. Método. Estudio prospectivo de cohortes realizado durante un período de 6 meses. Ámbito. Diecisiete hospitales de Andalucía. Pacientes. Enfermos con traumatismo grave, definido como aquél con un Injury Severity Score 16 y/o Revised Trauma Score 11. Variables de interés principales. Se analizan variables demográficas, mecanismo lesional, transporte al hospital, categorías diagnósticas según CIE-9, índices de gravedad y mortalidad. Resultados. Fueron incluidos 612 pacientes con traumatismos graves, la mayoría eran varones (78,6 por ciento) con una edad de 36,3 (19,5) años. El mecanismo lesional más frecuente fueron los accidentes de tráfico (65,3 por ciento). Registramos un mayor número de accidentes de tráfico los días de fin de semana. Los accidentes de motocicleta y automóvil predominaron en individuos jóvenes, mientras que en los ancianos fueron más frecuentes los atropellos. El 84 por ciento de los pacientes registrados ingresaron en Unidades de Cuidados Intensivos. Los diagnósticos CIE-9 más frecuentes fueron los referentes al área craneoencefálica (37,9 por ciento) y los traumatismos torácicos (22,1 por ciento). El Injury Severity Score fue de 25,7 (11,0), Revised Trauma Score de 9,7 (2,4) y APACHE II de 13,2 (7,4). Fallecieron en el hospital 136 pacientes (22,2 por ciento). La mortalidad fue superior en los individuos mayores de 60 años (44,5 por ciento frente a 17,8 por ciento, p < 0,001). Conclusiones. Los traumatismos severos analizados proceden en su mayoría de accidentes de tráfico, y corresponden a varones jóvenes. Encontramos mayor mortalidad en los pacientes ancianos (AU)

[Agrobacterium radiobacter bacteremia. Study of 2 cases and review of the literature]. / Bacteriemia por Agrobacterium radiobacter. Estudio de 2 casos y revisión de la literatura.

BACKGROUND: Agrobacteria are small gramnegative bacilli which produce tumors in different vegetal species and occasionally are human pathogens. METHODS: A retrospective review was carried out and the contribution of 2 cases of bacteremia by Agrobacterium radiobacter reported. RESULTS: Both patients developed uncomplicated bacteremia easily controlled by antimicrobian treatment without requiring removal of the intravascular device in one. CONCLUSIONS: Agrobacterium is a rare cause of bacteremic infection in immunosuppressed patients with intravenous catheters. Although the isolations are sensitive to different antibiotics some strains present resistance to cefalosporines, aminoglycosides and cloramphenicol. The mortality of these infections is slight.

[Nocardiosis: clinical observations apropos of 9 cases]. / Nocardiosis: observaciones clínicas a propósito de nueve casos.

We have retrospectively analyzed 9 cases of nocardiosis that were studied in our hospital over the past 10 years. 66% of the patients had an associated disease and half of them were on steroid treatment. The clinical manifestations of the infection were pulmonary and cutaneous and in 44% of cases, it disseminated to the central nervous system. The diagnosis was made in all cases isolating the microorganism from pulmonary secretions, puss, spinal fluid and blood. Nocardia asteroides was isolated in 8 cases, and nocardia caviae in one case. There was a 55% mortality rate. The different clinical presentation and evolution are reviewed, as well as prognostic factors and antimicrobial treatment of nocardiosis.

Albendazol a dosis unica, en parasitosis intestinales en ninos. Informe de 100 casos. / Albendazole, a single dose in intestinal helminthiasis in children.Report of 100 cases

Cien ninos, entre 7 y 10 anos de edad, con helmintiasis intestinal, recibieron una dosis oral unica de 400 mg de albendazol, un nuevo antihelmintico. Se practicaron estudios coproparasitoscopicos seriados antes y 14 y 21 dias despues del tratamiento. En parasitosis unicas se obtuvo negativizacion coproparasitoscopica en el 100% de 19 pacientes infestados con ascaris; 100% de 23 pacientes con oxiuros; 83% en 31 casos de tricocefalosis y 81% en 11 de uncinaria. En 16 pacientes con infestaciones multiples se obtuvo un 100% de exito en todos los casos y todos los parasitos presentes. La tolerancia fue excelente.Albendazol parece ser um recurso extraordinario en la erradicacion medicamentosa de las geohelmintiasis en ninos de paises en vias de desarrollo