Nutritional support protocol for patients with COVID-19

Area of Science:

• Nutrition Science
• Infectious Diseases
• Critical Care Medicine

Background:

• COVID-19 is a hypercatabolic illness impacting pulmonary and gastrointestinal health, leading to nutritional status deterioration and poorer prognoses.
• Patients with COVID-19 face significant nutritional risks due to disease severity and associated symptoms.
• Effective nutritional management is crucial for mitigating adverse outcomes in COVID-19 patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a protocol for guiding the nutritional care of adult and elderly patients, both non-critically and critically ill, with COVID-19.
• To offer evidence-based recommendations for nutritional assessment, therapy, and monitoring in hospitalized COVID-19 patients.
• To provide practical tools and suggestions for healthcare professionals managing the nutritional needs of COVID-19 survivors.

Main Methods:

• A critical literature review was conducted across PubMed, Scielo, Bireme, and Science Direct databases.
• Searched for articles and guidelines on nutritional assessment and management for COVID-19 and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).
• Included guidelines for managing symptoms presented by patients and professional experience from Brazilian nutritionists.

Main Results:

• Developed recommendations for nutritional assessment, including anthropometric, dietary, and laboratory evaluations.
• Provided guidance on calculating nutritional needs, initiating nutritional therapy, and monitoring tolerance.
• Offered strategies for nutritional monitoring during hospitalization and guidelines for hospital discharge.

Conclusions:

• COVID-19 patients are at high nutritional risk, necessitating proactive nutritional intervention.
• A comprehensive nutritional assessment is fundamental for developing individualized nutritional approaches.
• Personalized nutritional strategies can contribute to improved clinical and nutritional prognoses for COVID-19 patients.