Assessment of Gastrointestinal Outcomes among Intermittent Enterally Fed Critically Ill Patients

Qurany Ahmed, Reda; Elsayed Mahdy, Naglaa; Nadr Ebraheim, Mona; Hussein Bakr, Zeinab; Sayed Abd El Mawla, Tamer

doi:10.21608/ejhc.2024.380205

Assessment of Gastrointestinal Outcomes among Intermittent Enterally Fed Critically Ill Patients

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Assistant Lecturer of Medical Surgical and Critical Care Nursing Department, Faculty of Nursing - BeniSuef University

² Prof of Medical Surgical Nursing Department Faculty of Nursing – Ain Shams University, October 6 University

³ Assist prof of Medical Surgical Nursing Department Faculty of Nursing – Ain Shams University

⁴ Lecturer of Critical Care Medicine, Faculty of Medicine –El-Fayoum University5

10.21608/ejhc.2024.380205

Abstract

Background: Enteral feeding or enteral nutrition is the preferable route and utilized commonly for nutritional support in critically ill patients. Aim of the study: This study aimed to assess the gastrointestinal outcomes among intermittent enterally fed critically ill patients. Design: Descriptive exploratory research design was utilized. Setting: The study was carried out in General Intensive Care Unit at El Fayoum University Hospital. Subjects: a purposive sample of 110 critically ill patients who met the inclusion criteria. Data collection tools: Data were obtained through two main tools; patients’ assessment tool and gastrointestinal outcomes assessment tool. Results: The main results revealed that the mean age of the studied patients was 66.92±12.6 years, while 24.55% of the studied subjects had abdominal distension. Meanwhile, 100.00 % of the studied subjects hadn’t vomiting and the mean score of gastric residual volume for them was 12.82±4.59 ml. Also, 70.00% of them had normal intra-abdominal pressure with the mean score of intra-abdominal pressure was 9.58± 3.43 mmHg. Meanwhile, 55.55 % of the studied subjects had mild constipation. Also, there was highly statistically positive correlation between intra-abdominal pressure and abdominal distension (r= 0.625 & P.value <0.001). Conclusion: about one fourth of the studied subjects had abdominal distension, none of them had vomiting, the mean score of gastric residual volume (GRV) for the studied patients was 12.82±4.59 ml, more than two thirds of them had normal intra-abdominal pressure and more than half of the studied subjects had mild constipation with highly statistically positive correlation between body mass index and intra-abdominal pressure. Recommendations: On-going and regular in-service educational programs about assessment of gastrointestinal outcomes among enterally fed critically ill patients and how to measure gastric residual volume and intra-abdominal pressure. The study should be replicated on large sample and in different geographical settings in order to generalize the results.

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