Pressure Ulcers in Patients Receiving Enteral Nutrition Therapy and Their Relationship With Gut Microbiota

Pressure Ulcers in Patients Receiving Enteral Nutrition Therapy. What is the Relationship With Gut Microbiota?

Participants will be randomly assigned to the experimental group where they will be given enteral nutrition formula rich in zinc and arginine plus a symbiotic (Probinul- Ca.Di.GROUP S.r.l.) once a day for 90 days or the control group where they will receive only the enteral nutrition formula rich in zinc and arginine.

Participants belonging to both experimental and control group will be evaluated at admission (T0), 45 days after admission (T45) and at the end of the study (T90, 90 days after admission). At each time point patients' nutritional status will be determined and the following biochemical parameters will be investigated: lymphocyte count, total proteins, protidogram, prealbumin, transferrin, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), beta transforming growth factor (TGF-beta). Analysis of fecal DNA will be also performed to characterize the gut microbiota. In addition, at the baseline and at T45 participants will be administered the Braden scale for predicting pressure sore risk.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patients with enteral nutrition therapy
• Presence of pressure ulcers
• Previous antibiotic therapy

Exclusion Criteria:

• nutrition per os
• absence of pressure ulcers
• absence of previous antibiotic therapy