PD1055 - TIMING OF ENTERAL FEEDING IN CRITICALLY ILL TRAUMA PATIENTS: SEVERITY-STRATIFIED ANALYSIS OF LENGTH OF STAY AND MORTALITY

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PD1055

TIMING OF ENTERAL FEEDING IN CRITICALLY ILL TRAUMA PATIENTS: SEVERITY-STRATIFIED ANALYSIS OF LENGTH OF STAY AND MORTALITY

J. D. D. Reyno1, P. G. S. Calamba1,*

1Medical Nutrition Department, Davao Regional Medical Center, Tagum, Philippines

 

Rationale: While early enteral nutrition (EN) is established protocol, its impact on survival versus resource utilization in high-volume trauma centers requires localized validation. We analyzed the correlation between EN timing, mSGA-defined nutritional risk, and outcomes in a surgical ICU.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study included 246 adult trauma patients. Subjects were grouped by EN initiation: Early (</=3 days) or Late (>3 days). Primary outcomes were ICU length of stay (LOS) and in-hospital mortality. Data were stratified by nutritional risk (mSGA) and adjusted for physiologic (APACHE II) and injury (TRISS) severity.

Results: Early EN was achieved in 66.7% of patients. High nutritional risk (mSGA 6–9) was a significant predictor of prolonged ICU LOS (12.86 vs. 9.15 days, p=0.042). Early EN initiation was associated with a significant reduction in ICU LOS (p=0.036). However, mortality rates did not differ significantly between groups (32.3% vs. 39.0%, p=0.368) and were primarily driven by APACHE II and TRISS scores rather than feeding timing.

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Conclusion: Early EN significantly improves ICU throughput by reducing length of stay, particularly in patients with high nutritional risk. While mortality is largely dictated by baseline injury severity, prioritizing early feeding is essential for optimizing resource management in the surgical ICU.

References:         1. Marik, P. E., & Zaloga, G. P. (2001). Early enteral nutrition in acutely ill patients: A systematic review. Critical Care Medicine, 29(12), 2264–2270.

        2. Bernardino, C. S., & Llido, L. A. Association of Nutritional Status using the Short Nutritional Assessment Questionnaire (SNAQ) and Malnutrition Risk using the Malnutrition Screening Tool (MST) with In-Hospital Mortality and Intensive Care Unit Admission.

Disclosure of Interest: None declared