H. Andel et al., Impact of early high caloric duodenal feeding on the oxygen balance of thesplanchnic region after severe burn injury, BURNS, 27(4), 2001, pp. 389-393
Early enteral nutrition is recommended in burned patients. Depending on the
amount administered, enteral feeding causes an increase of intestinal oxyg
en-demand. Although early moderate enteral nutrition has been shown to be b
eneficial, early high calorie enteral nutrition might lead to an imbalance
of the O-2-balance of the gut since intestinal perfusion is decreased after
major burns. In 20 severely burned patients during the first 48 h of early
high caloric duodenal feeding an assessment of the CO2-gap between the art
erial and the gastric CO2, as parameter for the intestinal O-2-balance, was
performed. Time points were prior to starting the enteral. nutrition (BASE
) subsequently every 30 min after increasing the amount of nutrition admini
stered and from the 11th to the 48th h after beginning of nutrition in inte
rvals of 6 h. In none of the patients was the CO2-gap increased during the
rapid increase of enteral nutrition. On the contrary the CO2-gap decreased
significantly. We conclude that high caloric duodenal feeding in the early
hypodynamic postburn phase does not have adverse effects on the oxygen bala
nce of the intestine. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd and ISBI. All rights re
served.