What is the role of enteral nutrition in critical patient care?

 The burden of chronic diseases like heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and chronic pulmonary diseases is increasing globally. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), chronic diseases are estimated to account for 73% of all deaths worldwide by 2023. Many patients suffering from these diseases become malnourished due to declined appetite or difficulty consuming food, necessitating the usage of enteral nutrition.

Moreover, the aging population is increasing rapidly, particularly in developed countries. In 2020, the United Nations estimated that the number of individuals aged 65 years or older would double from 727 million to around 1.5 billion by 2050. This population is more prone to chronic diseases and usually needs enteral nutrition as part of their treatment or to keep their nutrition status. In addition to this, according to the research report of Astute Analytica, the global enteral nutrition market is growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.95% during the forecast period from 2024 to 2032.

Also, the rising rate of hospital admissions globally has been directly influencing the demand for enteral nutrition. As per a recent study, out of the total hospital admissions, about 25% of patients need some form of nutritional support due to malnourishment or their inability to eat, with a significant portion of these patients requiring tube feeding.

The role of enteral nutrition in critical patient care is: -

Critical care patients are usually in a state of high metabolic stress, which can lead to rapid weight loss and malnutrition. Nutritional intake is essential to support immune function, wound healing, and reduction of complications.

Here are some reasons why enteral nutrition is crucial for critical care patients: -

Reduce Complications: -

Malnutrition in critical care patients can lead to complications, like:

• muscle deterioration;

• infections;

• decreased immune function;

• a decrease in respiratory function.

Enteral nutrition can help decrease these complications by delivering the nutrients required to promote healing.

Maintain an adequate diet: -

Critical care patients frequently have problems digesting and eating solid foods. Enteral feeding delivers adequate nutrition and supports healing, wound healing, and tissue regeneration.

Lowering the cost of care: -

Enteral nutrition is also more economical than parenteral nutrition. It does not need compliance with strict sterility conditions and allows the body to be provided with the necessary substrates to a greater extent. In addition, it can be administered at home, when the patient is no longer in intensive care. This lowers the costs related to hospital care and physician visits.

Reduce the length of hospitalization: -

Enteral nutrition is more physiological than parenteral nutrition. It can help lower the length of hospitalization by favoring patient recovery and limiting complications. In addition, it stops the development of atrophic procedures in the gastrointestinal tract.

In Conclusion

Enteral nutrition is important for intensive care patients to reduce complications, maintain adequate nutrition, enhance recovery, and reduce the length of hospitalization.

Patients who cannot obtain sufficient nutrition by the oral route often require EN to meet their nutritional requirements. EN can be short or long-term, depending on the condition or diagnosis resulting in their inability to take food orally. Several factors should be considered, including the timing of EN initiation, feeding site, initiation rate, advancement regimen, formula, type of tube, feeding modality, and risk of complications. Careful and thorough assessment of the patient helps to ensure that nutritionally complete and clinically appropriate EN is delivered safely.