PD275 - PROJECT DARPAN ICU 1: EARLY ENTERAL NUTRITION PRACTICES IN INDIAN ICUS: BETTER SCREENING COMPLIANCE BUT DELAYED INITIATION- INSIGHTS FROM A NATIONWIDE PRACTICE SURVEY
PD275
PROJECT DARPAN ICU 1: EARLY ENTERAL NUTRITION PRACTICES IN INDIAN ICUS: BETTER SCREENING COMPLIANCE BUT DELAYED INITIATION- INSIGHTS FROM A NATIONWIDE PRACTICE SURVEY
Y. Mehta1, R. Reddy Chada2, V. R. Kola3, H. Dev4, B. Samant5, A. Chattopadhyay6, E. Canday7, S. B. SONAWALE8,*, N. Joshi8
1Critical Care, Medanta The Medicity, Gurgaon, 2Dietetics, AIG Hospital, 3Critical Care, Yahoda Hospital, Hyderabad, 4Critical Care, Apollo Hospital, Bangalore, 5Dietetics, Kokilaben Dhirubai Ambani Hospital, Mumbai, 6Critical Care, CMRI Hospital, Kolkata, 7Dietetics, Sir H. N. Reliance Foundation Hospital, 8Medical & Scientific Affairs, Dr. Reddy's & Nestle Health Science, Mumbai, India
Rationale: Global studies show malnutrition affects up to 60% of critically ill patients at ICU admission and patients frequently receive only 40-60% of prescribed nutrition.1-2 There is no national level data in India. This nationwide survey aims to capture the current status of nutrition adequacy in Indian ICUs.
Methods: A nationwide practice survey was conducted among intensivists and ICU dietitians across India. A total of 378 responses were received from 280 hospitals in 62 cities, assessing screening practices, timing of EN initiation and perceived barriers to achieve nutrition adequacy. Findings represent self-reported real-world practices.
Results: Screening practices were robust, with 95% of respondents routinely screening patients for malnutrition and 78% completing screening within the first 24 hours. Despite this, initiation of enteral nutrition (EN) remained suboptimal, as 47% reported that fewer than 60% of patients received their first feed within 24 hours. Key barriers included hemodynamic instability, GI dysfunction, and system-level challenges like the absence of standardized protocols and logistical delays. Workforce limitations were also evident, with approximately 63% of ICUs reporting a dietitian-to-patient ratio of up to 1:30. These gaps contributed to inadequate nutrition delivery, with only 23% of ICUs achieving more than 75% nutritional adequacy by days 5–7. The situation may be further underestimated, as just 60% of respondents reported routinely monitoring nutritional adequacy on a day-to-day basis.
Conclusion: Optimizing early initiation, strengthening multidisciplinary coordination and standardizing feeding protocols are critical to improving nutritional adequacy and outcomes in critically ill patients.
References: 1. Elke G et al. Clin Nutr. 2019;38:48–79.
2. Heyland DK et al. JPEN. 2010;34:653–662
Disclosure of Interest: None declared