Two nutrition screening tools and clinical outcomes among intensive care unit patients

Abstract BackgroundMalnutrition is highly prevalent in critically ill children in the pediatric intensive care unit .We aimed to investigate the efficiency of bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) measurements and phase angle (PhA) analysis for the assessment of nutritional risk and clinical outcomes in critically ill children.MethodsThis single-center observational study included patients admitted to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) of Chengdu Women’s and Children’s Central Hospital. All patients underwent anthropometric measurement in the first 24 h of admission and underwent BIA measurements within 3 days after the admission. The patients were classified into different groups based on body mass index (BMI) for age. Electronic hospital medical records were reviewed to collect clinical data for each patient. All the obtained data were analyzed by the statistics method.ResultsThere were 204 patients enrolled in our study, of which 32.4% were diagnosed with malnutrition. We found that BMI, arm muscle circumference, fat mass, and %body fat were lower in the group with poorer nutritional status (P < 0.05). Evident differences in the score of the Pediatric Risk of Mortality and the duration of mechanical ventilation (MV) among the three groups with different nutritional statuses were observed (P < 0.05). Patients in the severely malnourished group had the longest duration of MV. In the MV groups, there were significant differences (P < 0.05) in albumin level, PhA, and extracellular water/total body water (ECW/TBW ratio). The ECW/TBW ratio and the time for PICU stay had a weak degree of correlation (Pearson correlation coefficient = 0.375). PhA showed a weak degree of correlation with the duration time of medical ventilation (coefficient of correlation = 0.398).ConclusionBIA can be considered an alternative way to assess nutritional status in critically ill children. ECW/TBW ratio and PhA were correlated with PICU stay and duration time of medical ventilation, respectively.

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Beginning to See the Light: Lessons Learned From the Development of the Circadian System for Optimizing Light Conditions in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Frontiers in Neuroscience ◽

10.3389/fnins.2021.634034 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 15 ◽

Author(s):

Esther M. Hazelhoff ◽

Jeroen Dudink ◽

Johanna H. Meijer ◽

Laura Kervezee

Keyword(s):

Intensive Care Unit ◽

Intensive Care ◽

Neonatal Intensive Care Unit ◽

Clinical Outcomes ◽

Neonatal Intensive Care ◽

Circadian System ◽

Lessons Learned ◽

Preterm Neonates ◽

Negative Effects ◽

Beneficial Effects

The circadian timing system optimizes health by temporally coordinating behavior and physiology. During mammalian gestation, fetal circadian rhythms are synchronized by the daily fluctuations in maternal body temperature, hormones and nutrients. Circadian disruption during pregnancy is associated with negative effects on developmental outcomes in the offspring, highlighting the importance of regular and robust 24-h rhythms over gestation. In the case of preterm birth (before 37 weeks of gestation), maternal cues no longer synchronize the neonate’s circadian system, which may adversely affect the neonate. There is increasing evidence that introducing robust light-dark cycles in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit has beneficial effects on clinical outcomes in preterm infants, such as weight gain and hospitalization time, compared to infants exposed to constant light or constant near-darkness. However, the biological basis for these effects and the relationship with the functional and anatomical development of the circadian system is not fully understood. In this review, we provide a concise overview of the effects of light-dark cycles on clinical outcomes of preterm neonates in the NICU and its alignment with the development of the circadian system.

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A Systematic Review of the Definitions, Determinants, and Clinical Outcomes of Antimicrobial De-escalation in the Intensive Care Unit

Clinical Infectious Diseases ◽

10.1093/cid/civ1199 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 62 (8) ◽

pp. 1009-1017 ◽

Cited By ~ 89

Author(s):

Alexis Tabah ◽

Menino Osbert Cotta ◽

Jose Garnacho-Montero ◽

Jeroen Schouten ◽

Jason A. Roberts ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Intensive Care Unit ◽

Intensive Care ◽

Clinical Outcomes

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Association of Healthcare Access With Intensive Care Unit Utilization and Mortality in Patients of Hispanic Ethnicity Hospitalized With COVID-19

Journal of Hospital Medicine ◽

10.12788/jhm.3717 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (11) ◽

Author(s):

Ferdinand Velasco ◽

Donghan M Yang ◽

Minzhe Zhang ◽

Tanna Nelson ◽

Thomas Sheffield ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Intensive Care Unit ◽

Intensive Care ◽

Clinical Outcomes ◽

Disease Severity ◽

Healthcare System ◽

Multivariable Analysis ◽

Hospital Death ◽

Primary Language ◽

Hispanic Patients ◽

English Speaking

BACKGROUND: Racial and ethnic minority groups in the United States experience a disproportionate burden of COVID-19 deaths. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether outcome differences between Hispanic and non-Hispanic COVID-19 hospitalized patients exist and, if so, to identify the main malleable contributing factors. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS: Retrospective, cross-sectional, observational study of 6097 adult COVID-19 patients hospitalized within a single large healthcare system from March to November 2020. EXPOSURES: Self-reported ethnicity and primary language. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Clinical outcomes included intensive care unit (ICU) utilization and in-hospital death. We used age-adjusted odds ratios (OR) and multivariable analysis to evaluate the associations between ethnicity/language groups and outcomes. RESULTS: 32.1% of patients were Hispanic, 38.6% of whom reported a non-English primary language. Hispanic patients were less likely to be insured, have a primary care provider, and have accessed the healthcare system prior to the COVID-19 admission. After adjusting for age, Hispanic inpatients experienced higher ICU utilization (non-English-speaking: OR, 1.75; 95% CI, 1.47-2.08; English-speaking: OR, 1.13; 95% CI, 0.95-1.33) and higher mortality (non-English-speaking: OR, 1.43; 95% CI, 1.10-1.86; English-speaking: OR, 1.53; 95% CI, 1.19-1.98) compared to non-Hispanic inpatients. There were no observed treatment disparities among ethnic groups. After adjusting for age, Hispanic inpatients had elevated disease severity at admission (non-English-speaking: OR, 2.27; 95% CI, 1.89-2.72; English-speaking: OR, 1.33; 95% CI, 1.10-1.61). In multivariable analysis, the associations between ethnicity/language and clinical outcomes decreased after considering baseline disease severity (P < .001). CONCLUSION: The associations between ethnicity and clinical outcomes can be explained by elevated disease severity at admission and limited access to healthcare for Hispanic patients, especially non-English-speaking Hispanics.

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The Benefits of Parenteral Nutrition (PN) Versus Enteral Nutrition (EN) Among Adult Critically Ill Patients: What is the Evidence? A Literature Review

Journal of Intensive Care Medicine ◽

10.1177/0885066619843782 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 35 (7) ◽

pp. 615-626 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Angel Joel Cadena ◽

Sara Habib ◽

Fred Rincon ◽

Stephanie Dobak

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Intensive Care Unit ◽

Intensive Care ◽

Enteral Nutrition ◽

Parenteral Nutrition ◽

Clinical Outcomes ◽

Critically Ill ◽

Nutrition Support ◽

Mechanical Ventilation Duration ◽

The Impact

Malnutrition is frequently seen among patients in the intensive care unit. Evidence shows that optimal nutritional support can lead to better clinical outcomes. Recent clinical trials debate over the efficacy of enteral nutrition (EN) over parenteral nutrition (PN). Multiple trials have studied the impact of EN versus PN in terms of health-care cost and clinical outcomes (including functional status, cost, infectious complications, mortality risk, length of hospital and intensive care unit stay, and mechanical ventilation duration). The aim of this review is to address the question: In critically ill adult patients requiring nutrition support, does EN compared to PN favorably impact clinical outcomes and health-care costs?

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