Stick with Standard Tube Feeds

Observational studies have suggested that infections in critically ill patients can be prevented by enteral feeding supplemented with immune modulating nutrients. European guidelines do not endorse this practice, but the U.S. Society of Critical Care Medicine recommends enriched feeds for patients in intensive care units (ICUs) who are supported by mechanical ventilation or with severe sepsis, with emphasis on surgical populations (Crit Care Med 2009; 37:1757).

European investigators randomized 301 critically ill, mechanically ventilated patients in 14 ICUs to either standard high-protein enteral feeds or high-protein enteral feeds enriched with antioxidants, glutamine, and ω-3 fatty acids. Twenty percent of enrolled patients had sepsis on a…