OBJECTIVE To evaluate the epidemiology, outcomes, and importance of Clostridium difficile colonization pressure (CCP) as a risk factor for C. difficile-associated disease (CDAD) acquisition in intensive care unit (ICU) patients. DESIGN Secondary analysis of data from a 30-month retrospective cohort study. SETTING A 19-bed medical ICU in a midwestern tertiary care referral center. PATIENTS...

BACKGROUND Parenterally nourished preterm infants commonly receive minimal enteral feedings, the aim being to enhance intestinal function. Whether this regimen increases intestinal growth has not been established. OBJECTIVE Our objective was to determine the minimal enteral nutrient intakes necessary to stimulate and to normalize neonatal intestinal growth. METHODS Intestinal growth and cel...

BACKGROUND The optimal treatment of acute Crohn's disease in children remains controversial. In adults, steroid therapy has been shown to be superior to exclusive enteral nutrition. However, enteral nutrition is effective at inducing a remission in many children with acute Crohn's disease. Steroid usage in children has been associated with adverse side effects, particularly with delayed growth ...

BACKGROUND Perioperative nutrition in patients with limited liver function after partial hepatic resection is still controversial. In particular, the significance of perioperative total enteral nutrition remains unresolved. The aim of this review is to investigate the impact of early postoperative total enteral nutrition on convalescence after partial liver resection. MATERIALS AND METHODS In...

OBJECTIVE To determine the relationship between enteral nutrition discontinuation and outcome in general critically ill patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS All patients admitted to a mixed intensive care unit in a tertiary care hospital from May-August 2009 were screened for an indication for enteral nutrition. Patients were followed up until leaving the intensive care unit or a maximum of 28 day...

In the aftermath of a mass disaster, standard care methods for treatment of burn injury will often not be available for all victims. A method of fluid resuscitation for burns that has largely been forgotten by contemporary burn experts is enteral resuscitation. We identified 12 studies with over 700 patients treated with enteral resuscitation, defined as drinking or gastric infusion of salt sol...

OBJECTIVE Evaluate the compliance of septic patients' nutritional management with enteral nutrition guidelines for critically ill patients. METHODS Prospective cohort study with 92 septic patients, age ≥ 18 years, hospitalized in an intensive care unit, under enteral nutrition, evaluated according to enteral nutrition guidelines for critically ill patients, compliance with caloric and protein...

BACKGROUND The purpose of this retrospective study was to analyse the occurrence of gastrointestinal side effects in enterally fed ITU patients. METHODS We analysed the records of 195 ITU patients fed enterally, over at least five days, with commercial mixtures administered as 20-h infusions. Gastric retention, the number of defecations, and incidents requiring discontinuation of enteral feed...

BACKGROUND The interrelations between early enteral feeding, necrotising enterocolitis (NEC), and nosocomial sepsis (NS) remain unclear. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effect of age at the introduction of enteral feeding on the incidence of NS and NEC in very low birthweight (VLBW< 1500 g) infants. METHODS Data were collected on the pattern of enteral feeding and perinatal and neonatal morbidity...