[Decrease of the incidence of sepsis syndrome after early enteral nutrition of patients with severe burns]

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of early enteral nutrition on the incidence of the septic syndrome as well as its tolerance, in patients with severe burns. We retrospectively studied 64 patients older than 15 years of age, with a greater than 20% burned body surface area. They were divided into 2 groups as a function of the time elapsed between the beginning of Enteral Nutrition and the time of the burning: 23 patients were given Enteral Nutrition within 24 hours after the burn, and in 41 patients the enteral nutrition was started later than 24 hours after sustaining the thermal injury. Both groups were similar with respect to age, sex, percentage of 2nd and 3rd degree burns, incidence of inhalation, and deaths. All patients received the Enteral Nutrition through a nasogastric tube, with administration of a polymeric, hyperprotein and hypocaloric formula through a continuous infusion pump. In our study we saw a reduction of the incidence of the septic syndrome in the patients who received early enteral Nutrition (26%; 6 patients of a total of 23), with respect to those who did non receive early Enteral Nutrition (54%; 22 patients of a total of 41), with a statistical significance of p > 0.05. There were no differences between both groups with respect to the digestive tolerance to Enteral Nutrition. From our study we can deduce that early Enteral Nutrition reduces the incidence of septic complications, without this increasing the digestive intolerance to the same.