Refeeding hypophosphatemia: a potentially fatal danger in the intensive care unit

To determine the overall and comparative incidence of refeeding hypophosphatemia (RH) between enteral and parenteral nutrition in general adult intensive care unit (ICU) patients.

This study was performed as a retrospective analysis. A total of 117 patients who received enteral and parenteral nutrition were included in the study. Demographic characteristics, type of nutrition, daily energy intake, and serum phosphorus levels before and after the initiation of the nutrition were recorded for 7 days.

The mean age of the patients was 65.8 ± 16.7 years. RH was found in 61 patients (52.14%). There was no significant difference in RH with regard to nutrition type (P = 0.756). The duration of the ICU stay was longer in the patients with RH compared with the patients without RH [median: 12 (3-68) and 8.5 (3-41) days, respectively; P = 0.025]. The mortality rate was higher in patients with RH compared with patients without RH (P = 0.037).

The incidence of RH was quite high in our medical ICU. The mortality rate and the duration of ICU stay were higher in the patients with RH than those without RH.