Nutritional Therapy on Underweight Critically Ill Patients: an Observational Study

Nutritional Therapy on Underweight Critically Ill Patients: an Observational Study

Critically ill patients with body mass index (BMI) inferior to 20 kg/m2 have worse outcomes compared to normal and overweight patients. The impact nutrition therapy in this population is not yet stablished. There is a concern that too low caloric intake might worse their malnutrition; on the other hand, overfeeding is always a risk with serious consequences.

The hypothesis of this study is that nutritional support, especially caloric and protein intake, can influence the outcome of underweight critically ill patients.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Ages eligible for study: 18 years and older
• Gender eligible: both
• Nutrition therapy: enteral, parenteral feeding, nothing by mouth

Exclusion Criteria:

• Palliative care
• Exclusively oral nutrition
• Pregnancy
• Life expectancy inferior 24 hours
• ICU readmission