[Effect of enteral nutrition tolerance assessment standardized process management on ventilator associated pneumonia and prognosis in patients with tracheotomy and long-term mechanical ventilation in intensive care unit]

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the effect of enteral nutrition (EN) tolerance assessment standardized process management on nosocomial infection and prognosis in patients with tracheotomy and long-term mechanical ventilation (MV) in intensive care unit (ICU).

Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted. Forty-six patients who required long-term MV due to tracheotomy admitted to ICU of Changzhou First People's Hospital from January 2015 to December 2017 were enrolled. Taking the standardized process management of EN tolerance assessment from June 30th, 2016 as the time spot, patients admitted from January 1st, 2015 to June 30th, 2016 were taken as the control group (25 cases) and patients admitted from July 1st, 2016 to December 31st, 2017 as the observation group (21 cases). The two groups were all given conventional EN treatment and conventional symptomatic supportive treatment. Patients in the observation group was given the EN tolerance standardized process management, and received the nutritional risk screening score. While the control group was given a conventional EN management protocol (nurses routinely reported to the doctor and then gave further action). The nutritional support related indicators within 30 days of treatment (including serum albumin, serum pre-albumin, serum cholinesterase), the EN feeding tolerance index (the average amount of gastrointestinal motility drugs used within 30 days, the average EN interruption time per patient, and the incidence of gastrointestinal bleeding) and the prognosis-related indicators [including the incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), the monthly average hospitalization cost, the proportion of drugs, and the ratio of antibiotics to drugs] were compared.

Results: Compared with the control group, serum albumin, pre-albumin and cholinesterase were significantly increased in the observation group [albumin (g/L): 32.86±4.83 vs. 28.16±3.62, pre-albumin (mg/L): 186.42±62.84 vs. 163.26±73.49, cholinesterase (U/L): 3 482.34±369.92 vs. 2 986.86±491.49, all P < 0.05], the average use of gastrointestinal motility drugs was significantly reduced (mg: 11.20±3.86 vs. 15.23±5.68, P < 0.05), the average EN interruption time was significantly longer in each patient (hours: 6.38±3.59 vs. 4.96±2.28, P < 0.05), and the incidence of gastrointestinal bleeding was significantly decreased (19.04% vs. 24.00%, P < 0.05), the incidence of VAP was significantly decreased (18.64% vs. 21.36%, P < 0.05), and the antibiotics accounted for a significant decrease (62.43% vs. 76.59%, P < 0.05), but there was no significant difference in the proportion of drugs and monthly average hospitalization expenses [drug ratio: 36.88% vs. 38.42%, monthly average hospitalization cost (ten thousand yuan): 4.36±0.57 vs. 4.39±0.49, both P > 0.05].

Conclusions: For the patients with tracheotomy and long-term MV of ICU, the enteral nutrition tolerance assessment standardized process management can improve the nutritional status, reduce the incidence of nosocomial infections, and improve the prognosis of the patients.