Metabolic and Nutritional Characteristics of Long-stayer ICU Patients

Long-stayer Critically Ill Patients: is the Metabolic and Nutritional Therapy in the ICU Creating the Problem?

The intensive care (ICU) patient population has increasing number of very long ICU stays. Long-stayers are usually defined as requiring more than 1 week of mechanical ventilation and of ICU therapy: little is know about their metabolic characteristics and their relation to outcome. The study aims at describing the demographic, nutritional and metabolic aspects of their stay.

Analysis of 200-250 consecutive patients admitted to the ICU long-stayer program.

Data extracted from the computerized ICU system (PDMS): age, Simplified acute physiology score (SAPSII), weight, BMI, Nutrition Risk Score (NRS-2002), daily energy, protein, and glucose intakes, Energy balance, blood glucose (dysglycemia and Glu variability) and lactate, 24hr-insulin (Goal Glu 6-8 mmol/l).

Outcome variables: length of stay (LICU), muscle strength (MRC), vital status at 90 days.

Patients will be followed in detail until ICU discharge and for vital status until day 90 after admission Data will be presented as mean or median, univariate and multivariate analysis will be performed.

Inclusion Criteria:

• ICU length of stay > 7 days and enrollment to the long-stayer ICU program

Exclusion Criteria:

• Major burns
• Brain injury
• Severe neurological condition as primary disease