Comparison of Time-restricted Feeding and Continuous Feeding in Critically Ill Patients

Comparison of Time-restricted Feeding and Continuous Feeding in Critically Ill Patients

In the nutrition guideline (A.S.P.E.N guideline), there was no recommendation about the feeding type in enteral feeding of critically ill patients. Continuous feeding is the most popular feeding type in ICU because of its less nursing burden and reducing the aspiration incidence theoretically. However, some previous studies demonstrated that there were no complications differences between continuous and time-restricted feedings（such as intermittent feedings）.

In ICU, the disorder of protein synthesis is a universal problem and is associated with ICU acquired weakness. Time-restricted feeding is more physical than continuous feeding. In some animal researches, time-restricted feeding was proved to have a greater stimulatory effect on protein synthesis than continuous feeding. Besides of light, time-restricted feeding can may also adjust the biological rhythms. It is known that biological clocks could affect energy metabolism, emotion and so on. Until now, there are no enough clinical studies to prove the advantages in time-restricted feeding in ICU patients.So researchers designed the study to compare the time-restricted feeding and continuous feeding effect(especially protein synthesis) on ICU patients.

Enteral nutrition support can be administered by continuous administration or by time-restricted administration in ICU. Continuous feeding is the most popular feeding schedule because of its less nursing burden and reducing the aspiration prevalence theoretically. However, previous studies demonstrated that there was no complications (diarrhea, distension, Ventilator associated pneumonia-VAP incidence, and so on) difference between these two feeding schedule. So in the nutrition guideline (A.S.P.E.N guideline), there was no recommendation about the feeding schedule. However, time-restricted feeding is more physical than continuous feeding. In ICU, the disorder of protein synthesis is a universal problem and is associated with ICU acquired weakness. In some animal researches, time-restricted feeding was proved to have a greater stimulatory effect on protein synthesis than continuous feeding.

Besides of light, time-restricted feeding can adjust the biological rhythms. It is known that biological clocks could affect energy metabolism, emotion and so on. In the "zi wu liu zhu" theory of traditional chinese medicine, feeding time should be at 7:00-9:00, 11:00-13:00 and 17:00-19:00. So researchers designed the study to compare the time-restricted feeding according to traditional chinese medicine and continuous feeding effect(especially protein synthesis) on ICU patients.

Inclusion Criteria:

ICU patients asking for enteral nutrition by gastric tube

Exclusion Criteria:

Patients with gastrectomy; patients with enterectomy; patients with Gastrointestinal hemorrhage; patients with diabetes; patients with intestinal fistula