A Study Evaluating The Efficacy Of A Home Based Intact Polymeric Formula In The Nutritional Management Of Critically Ill Patients
9-12
Correspondence
Ms. Deepa Agarwal
PhD Research Scholar
Clinical Nutrition
Sri Ramachandra University
Chennai, India
Email: deepa_24101984@rediffmail.com
Phone: +919940220005
Background and Objective: Malnutrition is prevalent to a high degree among hospitalized patients throughout the world. As many as 40% of the adult patients are seriously malnourished at their hospital admission, and two thirds of all patients experience deterioration of their nutritional status during their hospital stay. India, with its nearly 1 billion inhabitants, has an estimated 350-400 million people below the poverty line, 75 per cent of them in the rural areas. Meeting the nutritional requirements of all those under such conditions is a daunting task. Sri Ramachandra University Hospital caters to the needs of people from different socio economic backgrounds and there has been a constant approach in meeting the nutritional requirements of all, irrespective of their socio economic status. A home based intact polymeric formula is being used for more than a decade to meet the nutritional requirement of the patients at the free Inpatient block of the hospital, where patients from poor economical backgrounds are admitted and treated. There has been no documented complaint of any gastrointestinal complication due to the intact polymeric formula, contrary to the published reports by various authors in their research carried out in different hospital settings. Hence, this present study was undertaken to prove the efficacy of this home based intact polymeric formula in the nutritional management and recovery of critically ill patients, while maintaining the safety standards.
Design: A prospective study design was adopted to carry out the study. A total of 30 subjects were studied between the study period from January’09 to March’09. There were 15 subjects each in the two study groups (Patients who were administered the home based Intact polymeric formula and the standard Commercial formula). These patients were followed up for various outcome variables such as nutrient intake, length of stay in the ICU, gastrointestinal complications, duration of mechanical ventilation and feed costs.
Results: Despite receiving different types of formulas, the nutrient intake, length of stay in the ICU and the duration of mechanical ventilation were not significantly different in the two study groups. There was a significant (p<0.05) difference in the feed costs which were incurred to the patients who were fed with both the formulas.
Conclusion: It is inferred from this study, that the home based intact polymeric formula is comparable to the standard commercial formulas, if the formula is planned with nutritionally adequate components, reconstituted adequately and implemented as per the protocols, in improving the expected clinical outcome in the critically ill patients.