The incidence and risk factors of gastrointestinal dysfunction during enteral nutrition in mechanically ventilated critically ill patients.
Ling Shi, Jianmei Shao, Yuxia Luo and 2 others
PMID 39474999WHAT IT FOUND
Gastrointestinal dysfunction occurred in 65.5% of mechanically ventilated patients receiving enteral nutrition.
Risk was significantly higher with gastric feeding, faster infusion rates, and intra-abdominal hypertension, while post-pyloric feeding appeared protective.
Key findings
01The overall incidence of gastrointestinal dysfunction was 65.5% among the 252 patients analysed.
02Gastric enteral nutrition was associated with a significantly higher risk of dysfunction compared to post-pyloric nutrition.
03Higher infusion rates and intra-abdominal hypertension were independent risk factors for developing gastrointestinal dysfunction.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The study was conducted at a single centre, which may limit the generalisability of the findings. There is no universally agreed-upon definition for gastrointestinal dysfunction, so the specific criteria used here may not match other settings. The study did not perform stratified analyses by diagnosis, so risk factors may vary across different patient groups. Observational design means association was shown, but causation cannot be definitively proven.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflicts of interest. The research was supported by a grant from the Huizhou Science and Technology Bureau.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the hazard ratios as a guarantee that switching to post-pyloric feeding will prevent all gastrointestinal dysfunction. The study was observational and single-centre, and the authors themselves suggest gastric access remains the standard first-line approach, with post-pyloric reserved for specific high-risk or intolerant cases.