ABSTRACT
Patients in chronic critical illness after brain injury may experience various conditions that limit nutritional support. The aim of this work is to analyze the factors limiting or hindering the provision of nutritional support (in particular, enteral clinical nutrition) in patients in chronic critical illness after brain damage. Material and methods. This study is a prospective observational cohort study. In the course of the study, 47 patients (27 men and 20 women, mean age 52±18.4 years) in a chronic critical illness who were undergoing rehabilitation after brain damage and who had certain limitations in the provision of nutritional support were evaluated. The duration of the patients' stay in the intensive care unit was from 21 to 30 days. During hospitalization, adverse events and conditions were recorded in these patients, limiting the conduct of enteral clinical nutrition. Results. Among the undesirable phenomena and conditions limiting enteral nutrition, diarrheal syndrome most often developed - in 41.7% of patients (associated with the use of antibiotics in 25.0% of the examined). The second group in terms of frequency - the development of surgical pathology (of various etiology) - in 31.7% of patients, which attracted special attention, taking into account the neurological and/or neurosurgical nature of the underlying disease. At the same time, the appearance of a high residual volume of the stomach against the background of an increase in hydrocephalus developed only in 5.0% of cases. More attention should be paid to patients who are in the most severe physical condition, since they have a high probability of the occurrence of several factors at once that limit the use of clinical nutrition - this category of the studied sample included 19.1% of patients. Conclusion. Strict adherence to the technology of enteral nutrition can increase the efficiency of enteral nutrition in patients in chronic critical condition.