ICU nutrition is administered to critically ill patients who cannot eat on their own through intravenous feeding or feeding tubes. However, patients are often victims of systematic malnutrition, receiving fewer calories and nutrients than needed. Physicians must closely monitor glucose levels and patients are kept on a tight regimen until they can eat on their own.
The Intensive Care Unit, ICU, is the part of the hospital that houses and cares for the sickest and most seriously injured patients. These patients often require assistance with normal activities of living, such as eating and drinking. ICU nutrition is the diet given to patients in the intensive care unit who are usually unable to eat on their own.
When a patient is unable to eat, the required nutrients are normally supplied in two ways. Nutrition in the ICU can be administered in the form of intravenous (IV) feeding, where glucose and other essentials are dripped directly into the patient’s bloodstream. A bag containing the appropriate solution is usually hung along with any other IV solutions the patient is receiving.
Another common way to deliver ICU nutrition to patients is through a feeding tube that is often placed directly into the patient’s stomach. In some cases, the tube is passed through the nose and down the throat, but where tube feeding is long-term, the tube can be surgically implanted. It is then connected directly to the stomach or intestines.
Despite the fact that nutrition in the ICU has been shown to be very important for the general health of the patient, in many cases patients are victims of systematic malnutrition in the ICU. This means that the patient is constantly and continuously being fed fewer calories and other nutrients than he needs. Usually, the treating physician feels that a bedridden patient needs much less nutrition than is actually needed. Unfortunately, this practice can cause delayed healing or other problems in some patients.
There are many different liquid diets available for physicians to choose from when ordering a patient to receive nutrition in the ICU. Due to the fact that many of these diets are very high in glucose, it is important to closely monitor the patient’s blood sugar. Even non-diabetic patients may need help controlling glucose levels, especially when receiving intravenous feeding.
Typically, patients are kept on tightly controlled ICU nutrition regimens until they are able to eat on their own. At this point, a patient’s diet is still observed, but it no longer requires the same level of control that it did while the patient was receiving intravenous or tube feedings. Most of the time, patients return to normal diets without significant problems once the problems that required special diets have been resolved.
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