Optimizing research in ICU nutrition

摘要

Clinical research in ICU nutrition is confounded by heterogeneous study populations and generalistic approaches to trial design and analyses. Energy deficits, nitrogen deficits, underfeeding, and even overfeeding characterize significant patient subsets as they journey through the stages of critical illness. These repeated and consistent observational and experimental findings have impeded standardization of critical illness metabolic support. They also account for negative findings in several large clinical trials that evaluate 'adequate nutrition'.