Effect of enteral feeding with ginger extract in acute respiratory distress syndrome.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of an enteral diet enriched with ginger extract on inflammatory factors, respiratory profile, and outcome of patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-two patients with ARDS were randomized to receive a high-protein enteral diet enriched with ginger or placebo. Serum levels of interleukin (IL) 1, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor α, and leukotriene B4; red blood cell glutathione; oxygenation; and static compliance were measured on days 0, 5, and 10. RESULTS: Patients fed enteral diet enriched with ginger had significantly lower serum levels of IL-1, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor α and higher level of RBC glutathione on days 5 and 10 compared with control group (P < .05). Significant improvement in oxygenation was observed on day 5 (P = .02) and 10 (P = .003) in ginger group compared with control group. Static compliance was increased on day 5 (P = .01) in ginger group compared with control group. A significant difference was found in duration of mechanical ventilation (P = .02) and length of intensive care unit stay (P = .04) in favor of ginger group. We did not find any difference in barotraumas, organ failure, and mortality between the study groups. CONCLUSIONS: An enteral diet supplemented with ginger in patients with ARDS may be beneficial for gas exchange and could decrease duration of mechanical ventilation and length of stay in intensive care unit.

Ginger extract reduces delayed gastric emptying and nosocomial pneumonia in adult respiratory distress syndrome patients hospitalized in an intensive care unit.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of ginger extract on delayed gastric emptying, developing ventilator-associated pneumonia, and clinical outcomes in adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-two ARDS patients who were dependent on mechanical ventilation and fed via nasogastric tube were studied. After enrollment, patients were randomized to 2 groups. The control group received 1 g of coconut oil as placebo, and the study group received 120 mg of ginger extract. The amount of feeding tolerated at the first 48 hours of feeding, amount of feeding tolerated during the entire study period, nosocomial pneumonia, number of intensive care unit (ICU)-free days, number of ventilator-free days, and mortality were evaluated during 21 days of intervention. RESULTS: There was a significant difference between the ginger group and the control group in the amount of feeding tolerated at the first 48 hours of enteral feeding (51% vs 57%, P < .005). There was a trend toward a decrease in pneumonia in the ginger group (P = .07). The overall in-ICU mortality was 15.6%, with no significant difference in the 2 groups. The number of ventilator-free days and that of ICU-free days were lower in the control group compared with the ginger group (P = .04 and P = .02). CONCLUSION: This study showed that gastric feed supplementation with ginger extract might reduce delayed gastric emptying and help reduce the incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia in ARDS.