Clinical impact of early enteral nutrition support combined with comfort nursing on prognosis of critically ill ICU patients undergoing ventilator assisted ventilation

Si Shen¹, Peng Xu², Longping Yao¹, Yongbin Wang¹, Hua Xu², Xiaodong Hu^1,**

1. Department of Critical Care Medicine, Huzhou Central Hospital, Huzhou 313000, Zhejiang, China.
2. Emergency Medicine, Huzhou Central Hospital, Huzhou 313000, Zhejiang, China.

• Corresponding Author: Xiaodong Hu; E-mail: 15957206391@163.com

Abstract
Objective
We aimed to clarify the impact of early enteral nutrition support combined with comfort nursing on the prognosis of critically ill patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) who received ventilator-assisted ventilation.
Methods
100 critically ill patients admitted to our ICU were selected and randomly divided into the control group (CG) and the observation group (OG). The OG initiated early enteral nutrition support within 24 h after admission to ICU and received comfort nursing. The CG initiated enteral nutrition support after admission to the ICU based on monitoring biochemical indicators and received routine ICU nursing. The nutritional status, immune function, total malnutrition rate, incidence of pulmonary infection, ventilator weaning time and ICU hospitalization time of the two groups were measured and compared.
Results
The levels of albumin (ALB), total protein (TP), and globulin (GLB) in both groups were higher than those at admission to the ICU, while OG group were higher than CG group (P < 0.05). The PCT levels of both groups decreased compared to the levels during the period from admission to the ICU, while OG group was greater decrease than CG group (P < 0.05). The overall malnutrition rate in OG group was lower than that in CG group (P < 0.05). The incidence of pulmonary infection in OG group was lower than that in CG group (P < 0.05). The time to weaning from the ventilator and the ICU stay time in OG group were shorter than those in CG group (P < 0.05).
Conclusion
For critically ill ICU patients undergoing ventilator assisted ventilation, early enteral nutrition support combined with comfort nursing can effectively reduce risk of malnutrition and pulmonary infection, enhance immune function, create convenient conditions for early weaning and early conversion to general wards, with broad clinical application prospects.

Keywords: ICU; ventilator assisted ventilation; early enteral nutrition support; comfort nursing