Effect of early enteral feeding on clinical outcome in critically ill patients with hemodynamic instability

Bangchuan HU; Aiping WU; Yin NI; Jingquan LIU; Minhua CHEN; Xianghong YANG; Renhua SUN

ABSTRACT

objective:

To investigate the tolerability of early enteral nutrition (EN), and to further explore the association of early EN with clinical outcome in critically ill patients with hemodynamic instability.

Methods:

The adult patients from Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital with an expected admission to ICU for at least 24 h were consecutively recruited from May 2014 to May 2016, and all clinical, laboratory, and survival data were prospectively collected. The AGI grade was daily assessed on the first week of ICU admission. Enteral nutrition (EN) started after 6 h of hemodynamic stability (MAP ≥ 65 mmHg) when the patients took vasoactive medication. The patients were divided into three groups based on the timing of EN initiation early EN group (EN initiation within 48 h of ICU admission), late EN group (EN initiation at more than 48 h of ICU admission), and no initiation of enteral feeding within 7 days of ICU admission.

Results:

Of 201 patients enrolled, the mean age was 65.3 ± 16.4 years, APACHE II score was 22.4 ± 6.85, and 191 patients (95.0%) took mechanical ventilation. There were no differences in high gastric residual volume, diarrhea, and gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding between the early EN group and late EN group ( P>0.05). Whereas, patients in the no initiation of EN within 7 days of ICU admission had a lower prevalence of gastric residual volume (16.7% vs. 33.3%, P=0.05), but higher prevalence of GI bleeding (47.2% vs. 26.1%, P=0.02). Compared with those in the late EN group and in no initiation of EN within 7 days of ICU admission, patients in the early EN group had lower 28- (30.4% vs. 47.9% vs. 55.6%, P=0.01) and 60-day mortality rates (38.0% vs. 53.4% vs. 63.9%, P=0.017). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that the timing of EN initiation on the admission to ICU (early EN vs. late EN, χ 2≥5.83, P<0.05; early EN vs. no initiation of EN, χ 2≥7.90, P<0.01), serum creatinine ( χ 2=5.06, P<0.05), plasma albumin ( χ 2≥6.41, P<0.01), AGI grade ( χ 2≥8.15, P<0.01), and APACHE II score ( χ 2≥9.62, P<0.01) were independent predictors for 28- and 60-day mortality.

Conclusions:

Early EN on admission to ICU could be tolerated, and is significantly associated with lower risk of 28- and 60-day mortality in critically ill patients with vasoactive medication to maintain hemodynamic stability.