Individualized commercial formulation reduces diarrhea in adult ICU patients receiving tube-fed enteral nutrition.
Photo by Karim Ghantous / Unsplash
Key Takeaway
Note that individualized commercial formulation is associated with lower diarrhea rates in this retrospective cohort.
This retrospective cohort study evaluated 605 adult ICU patients receiving tube-fed enteral nutrition at Henan Provincial People's Hospital. The analysis compared an individualized commercial formulation (ICF) against standard commercial enteral nutrition (CEN). The primary outcome assessed was the incidence of diarrhea, while secondary outcomes included feeding interruption, gastric residual volume, constipation, hyperglycemia, and composite gastrointestinal complications.
Results indicated a lower incidence of diarrhea in the ICF group compared to the CEN group, with absolute rates of 13.6% versus 41.5%. The adjusted odds ratio was 0.27 (95% CI 0.11–0.68; p = 0.005). Additionally, fewer feeding interruptions occurred in the ICF group compared to the CEN group, with an incidence rate ratio of 0.29 (95% CI 0.18–0.45; p = 0.005). Data for other secondary outcomes were not reported in the provided text.
The study did not report specific adverse events, serious adverse events, discontinuations, or detailed tolerability metrics. As an observational study, causal inferences cannot be made. The findings suggest a potential benefit of ICF regarding gastrointestinal complications, but the retrospective nature and lack of randomization limit the certainty of these results. Clinicians should interpret these associations cautiously until supported by higher-quality evidence.
More on Critically Ill
Increasing midazolam sedation levels associated with decreased energy expenditure in mechanically ventilated patients
Deep sedation reduces energy use in critically ill patients
In this prospective self-controlled study of 74 critically ill patients requiring mechanical ventilation, increasing levels of midazolam sed…
Deep sedation levels can lower how much energy the body burns in patients using mechanical ventilation.
Conservative fluid management shows no difference in tissue perfusion or kidney injury in critically ill adults.
Less Fluid in ICU: New Data Shows It Is Safe
This secondary analysis of an RCT in critically ill patients found that conservative fluid management with active deresuscitation did not di…
Doctors can safely reduce fluids in sick patients without hurting their organs.
Protocol outlines individualized anticoagulation monitoring in critically ill adults using unfractionated or low-molecular-weight heparin.
ICU Blood Clot Prevention Has a Monitoring Problem — This Study Aims to Fix It
This study protocol describes a prospective observational cohort design evaluating individualized anticoagulation monitoring in critically i…
A new prospective study is testing whether a real-time clotting test called viscoelastic testing can give ICU doctors a more complete pictur…
Testosterone gel fails to normalize serum levels in critically ill ICU patients in pilot RCT
Can testosterone gel help critically ill men? A small study finds no clear benefit.
A pilot RCT of 30 critically ill ICU patients on vasopressors and mechanical ventilation found 14-day testosterone gel administration did no…
Testosterone gel did not improve hormone levels or safety in critically ill men needing breathing machines and blood pressure support.
View Original Abstract ↓
BackgroundCritically ill ICU patients often fail to achieve target caloric intake due to gastrointestinal intolerance. Although commercial enteral nutrition (CEN) formulas are the standard of care, emerging evidence suggests they may worsen intolerance in certain susceptible populations. Individualized commercial formulation (ICF) may help reduce related complications, but its safety and effectiveness compared to commercial formulas remain insufficiently validated.ObjectiveTo compare the associations of CEN, mixed feeding, and ICF with gastrointestinal tolerance and complication risk in ICU patients.MethodsIn this single-center retrospective cohort study, 605 adult ICU patients receiving tube-fed EN at Henan Provincial People’s Hospital between January 2023 and January 2025 were included. Patients were classified into Commercial (n = 477), Mixed (n = 84), and ICF (n = 44) groups according to EN source. The primary outcome was diarrhea. Secondary outcomes included feeding interruption, gastric residual volume, constipation, hyperglycemia, and composite gastrointestinal complications. Multivariable logistic regression was used to adjust for baseline and feeding-related factors. Missing data were handled by multiple imputation. Propensity score matching and APACHE II–stratified analyses were performed as sensitivity analyses.ResultsCompared with the Commercial group, the ICF group had a lower incidence of diarrhea (13.6% vs. 41.5%; aOR = 0.27, 95% CI 0.11–0.68; p = 0.005), fewer feeding interruptions (IRR = 0.29, 95% CI 0.18–0.45; p
Meta-analysis finds distinct neural activation patterns to food and monetary rewards in overweight/obesity
Brain scans reveal how food and money rewards differ in people with overweight or obesity
Related in Nutrition & Obesity Medicine
Observational study finds Touch Activated Phlebotomy reduces pain in autistic and non-autistic adults compared to traditional venipuncture
Touch Activated Phlebotomy Causes Less Pain Than Traditional Blood Draws
This primary research article reports on an observational study of 23 participants, including 11 autistic adults and 12 non-autistic adults.…
A small study found a new blood draw device caused less pain than standard methods for both autistic and non-autistic adults.
TMAO levels and clinical variables associated with poor outcomes in acute ischemic stroke
Gut-derived TMAO linked to poor stroke recovery outcomes
This retrospective case-control study of 213 patients with acute ischemic stroke undergoing endovascular therapy investigated associations w…
High levels of a gut-related compound may predict how well patients recover after an emergency procedure for an ischemic stroke.
Simplified protocol improves recovery rates and reduces costs for acute malnutrition in Venezuelan children
A New Way to Treat Child Malnutrition Saves Money
This prospective cohort study compared a simplified protocol against WHO standard guidelines in 229 children aged 6-59 months with acute mal…
A new treatment plan for malnourished children in Venezuela costs less and helps more kids recover without losing safety or speed.
Plasma homocysteine levels associated with increased risk of incident metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease
High or low homocysteine levels raise your liver disease risk
This cohort study included 5,184 adults from the Dalian Health Management Cohort. Researchers found a positive association between plasma ho…
Both very high and very low homocysteine levels could increase your risk of developing fatty liver disease in the future.
From Other Specialties
Systematic review and meta-analysis shows cefotiam reduces postoperative infection in clean surgery
Cefotiam cuts post-surgery infection risk by half compared to no antibiotics
This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated cefotiam prophylaxis versus no antibiotic prophylaxis or other beta-lactam agents in adul…
A large review found cefotiam lowers infection risk after clean surgery. It works as well as other common antibiotics without causing more s…
Therapeutic Touch Reduces Crying and Improves Sleep in Infants With Colic
Therapeutic touch reduces crying in babies with colic
This randomized controlled trial in 96 infants with colic found that therapeutic touch based on Watson's Human Care Theory significantly red…
A new trial shows gentle therapeutic touch helps babies cry less and sleep better when they have infantile colic.
Mycophenolate mofetil non-inferior to prednisone for first-episode nephrotic syndrome in children
Mycophenolate Mofetil Offers Alternative to Steroids for Nephrotic Syndrome
This phase 3 non-inferiority trial randomized 272 children aged 1-10 years with first-episode steroid-sensitive nephrotic syndrome to mycoph…
A new trial shows mycophenolate mofetil works as well as prednisone for children with nephrotic syndrome, with fewer steroid side effects.
AquOTic water competency intervention improves outcomes in children with autism
Water therapy improves skills for children with autism spectrum disorder
This pre-post cohort study of 37 children with autism ages 5 to 9 found that a 10-week occupational therapy-based water competency intervent…
A water-based occupational therapy program significantly improved performance and satisfaction scores in children with autism spectrum disor…