Continuous high-energy low-flow-rate enteral support: a panoramic review of 1000 cases

One thousand intensive care digestive surgical cases are reviewed concerning continuous low-flow-rate enteral support (CLFRES), using Nutripompe: 607 males and 393 females, average age 51 years. The average duration of CLFRES is 21.5 days +/- 13, range 4 to 180 days. CLFRES was used postoperatively in 76 per cent, preoperatively in 10 per cent, and pre- and postoperatively in 14 per cent of cases, respectively. The enteral support route was 63 per cent nasogastric, 20 per cent gastrostomy and 17 per cent jejunostomy. Five hundred and ten patients required extensive digestive surgery with temporary exclusions. More than 100 patients with either temporary enterostomies or enterocutaneous fistulas have had continuous reinstillation of digestive chyme (CRDC) associated with their intensive care unit treatment management. CRDC in the lower end of an enterostomy has shown a specific retrograde inhibitory effect on the upper digestive secretions, particularly on the intestinal secretions during pathologies associated with one or several interruptions of the continuity of the gastrointestinal tract. This technique and its physiological implications were discussed. The principal pathologies in this important study group are: severe digestive fistulas, 24 per cent; acute diffuse peritonitis, 18 per cent; acute enterocolitis, 14 per cent; digestive tumours, 35 per cent; and acute necrotizing haemorrhagic pancreatitis, 9 per cent. A comparative analysis of nutritional energy nitrogen requirement was presented in view of the cancer, the septic, and the non-cancer non-septic patient groups. Enteral support nutritional solutions were primarily mixed non-degraded food, 70 per cent, and semi-elemental diets, 30 per cent. Certain pathology groups required variations in protein and lipid percentage. An up-to-date evaluation of nutritive formulas based on small peptides in normal and small bowel postoperative patients was discussed. Four CLFRES administration programmes were discussed: normal gastrointestinal tract, 38 per cent; abnormal gastrointestinal tract, 44 per cent; pancreatitis, 11 per cent; short bowel, 7 per cent. Nutrition evolution parameters (clinical), were: weight gain curve (minimum 10 days), local regional healing, biological positive changes in protein metabolism, nitrogen balance, lipid metabolism and glucose regulation. Impact on complications such as thrombosis, embolism and haemorrhage were discussed. Clinical and biological results using CLFRES were most satisfactory in more than 90 per cent of patients.