Effects of hypocaloric feeding on clinical outcome in ICU patients
The risk of a severe malnutrition is particularly high in critically ill patients. On the other hand, to administer feeding overcoming the metabolic need should be considered a significant risk factor and not a useful approach in improving the outcome of ICU patients. To this purpose, a hypocaloric nutritional support has been proposed. It may satisfy the patient's caloric-proteic needs, and supply energy enough aimed to avoid the adverse effects of the stress-related metabolic response. The present study aimed to evaluate the nutritional support management in our ICU, and to assess the relative role of the enteral nutritional therapy on morbidity.
We present a consensus report from the SFAR/SLRF (Société Française d'Anesthésie et de Réanimation/Société de Réanimation de Langue Française) Consensus Conference, held on 13 October 2005 in Paris, France. The consensus report made recommendations on five topics relevant to the treatment of circulatory failure in sepsis and its underlying rationale. These topics are as follows: therapeutic goals of haemodynamic support in sepsis; goals of fluid resuscitation (including transfusion); role of inotropes and vasoactive drugs; role of other treatments; and treatment strategy. This report is reproduced from a translation of the original in Annales Francaises of Anesthésie and Réanimation.