Effect of Implementing Nutritional Support on Expected Clinical Outcomes of Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease on Mechanical Ventilator

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a chronic inflammatory lung
disease that causes obstructed airflow from the lungs. Symptoms include breathing difficulty, cough,
mucus (sputum) production and wheezing. Aim of the study: was to determine the effect of
implementing nutritional support on expected clinical outcomes of patient with chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease on mechanical ventilator. Research design: A quasi experimental research design
was used. Subjects: A purposeful sample of 60 adult patients were selected according to inclusion and
exclusion criteria and randomly divided alternatively into two equal groups; 30 in each group: Study
group (I) received nutritional support as prescribed by the treating physician. Control group (II)
received ordinary hospital diet. Setting: The study was conducted in chest intensive care units (ICU) at
Ain Shams university hospital. Tools of the study: Four tools were used for data collection. 1-
Nutritional assessment tool, 2- COPD Ventilator Parameters, 3- Respiratory assessment tool: It
included two parts: Part 1. It assessed respiratory rate, breathing sound, and sputum, use of accessory
muscles chest expansion, cyanosis, and cough. Part 2: Dyspnoea Analogue Scale and tool 4 was used to
assess laboratory study. Results: There were a high proportions of patients of both study and control
groups; slightly about two third of patients were in the age group of 50 to 60 years. Over half of each
patient of both groups were males with no significant difference. Married patients constituted the
majority of both study and control groups. Also, slightly more than two third of study group was
illiterate as compared to one third of control group. There were statistical significant improvements
among the study group as regard expected clinical outcomes; in the mean daily caloric intakes, the total
energy intake from protein, carbohydrates fibre, vitamins and trace elements, and oxygenation than the
control group. Conclusion: The study concluded that nutritional support proved to be an important
aspect of patient care that improved oxygenation among the study than the control group.
Recommendations: Continuing educational health guidance for nurses are needed to increase
awareness of positive effect of nutritional support for patients with COPD on the improvement of their
clinical outcomes, dietician must be included within the health staff in the ICU, and the hospital menu
must be adapted according to patient needs and replication of the study on a larger probability sample
to attain more generalizable area