How should be the nutrition of intensive care patients?

Abstract

Almost all of the medical conditions requiring intensive care can cause deficient nutrition. Inadequate nutrition disrupts organ functions, aggravates clinical course and increases inflammatory response. Inadequate nutrition eventually prolongs recovery period in intensive care patients, and also reduces their survival rates. Accordingly nutritional support of intensive care patients is as important as any other supportive treatment. In this article selection of nutritional support, importance of early nutrition, enteral and parenteral nutritional methods and their compaative advantages in intensive care patients have been discussed.