Factors associated with length of stay and death in tube-fed patients: A cross-sectional multicentre study.
Leticia Alves Freitas, Alex Luís Fagundes, Patrícia Rezende do Prado and 7 others
PMID 33503335WHAT IT FOUND
In 365 tube-fed hospital patients, 83 died.
Older age was linked to longer stays and death. Greater nursing-care needs were linked to longer stays and, when other factors were considered, death.
Key findings
01Among 365 tube-fed patients, 83 (22.7%) died, and the mean length of stay was 18 days.
02Length of stay was associated with how much nursing care the patient needed (p = .0179), age (p = .01), and length of NG/NET use (p = .01).
03Compared with minimal care, high-dependency, semi-intensive, and intensive care had 2.52, 3.30, and 6.20 times greater likelihood of dying.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
All patients had tubes, so the study cannot compare tube-fed patients with patients without tubes. It cannot show that tube use caused longer stay or death; sicker patients may need tubes and have worse outcomes. Data came from medical records, so missing or inaccurate entries may affect results. The cross-sectional design cannot determine direction because multiple confounding variables exist.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The supplied publication types list non-U.S. government research support.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the higher likelihood of death with intensive, semi-intensive, and high-dependency care as proof that tube feeding caused death. The study was cross-sectional, had no non-tube-fed comparator, and cannot determine direction because multiple confounding variables exist.