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Efficacy and Safety of Administration of High Levels of Protein to Critically Ill Patients.

Not Applicable
Active, not recruiting
Conditions
Intensive Care Unit Acquired Weakness
Interventions
Other: Protein dose 1.5 g/kg/day
Other: Protein dose 1.0 g/kg/day
Registration Number
NCT05918757
Lead Sponsor
Spanish Society of Critical Care Medicine and Coronary Units
Brief Summary

Critically ill patients are known to develop serious nutritional deterioration during the course of their disease. They develop, from the beginning, a multifactorial protein malnutrition that relates to a poor clinical course and the development of weakness. Due to the increased protein catabolism in this type of patient, there is a rapid degradation of muscle mass and loss of functional proteins, and therefore nutritional support is mandatory. Indeed, achieving a high protein intake may promote a better evolution of the critically ill patient, i.e., maintenance of muscle protein, less deterioration of muscle strength, lower Intensive care unit-acquired weakness (ICUAW), lower mortality, decrease in the number of infections, decrease in days on mechanical ventilation, and days of hospital stay and in ICU.

The goal of this clinical trial is to compare the appearance and degree of ICUAW in critically ill patients receiving invasive mechanical ventilation treated with two different doses of protein (1.5 g/kg/day vs.1.0 g/kg/day).

Detailed Description

It is known that protein metabolism is altered in critically ill patients due to metabolic alterations derived from stress. This critical situation is manifested by a severe catabolic alteration, especially in the first week, which is fundamentally characterized by severe glucose intolerance and the use of the protein itself as a metabolic substrate.

Despite protein synthesis is increased, this is insufficient to compensate for the high protein degradation rate, which leads, among others, to muscle deterioration resulting in increased morbidity and mortality. This muscle destruction has been implicated in the early appearance of Intensive care unit-acquired weakness (ICUAW). Although the pathophysiology of ICUAW is multifactorial, protein intake may play an key role in its treatment. However, protein intake cannot reduce muscle destruction, but it can stimulate protein synthesis.

Current evidence supports that the administration of early artificial nutritional support with a high protein intake can improve the clinical course of critically ill patients. However, there is still no consensus on the exact amount of protein needed to be administered to these patients in order to reduce adverse outcomes and prevent ICUAW.

Thus the aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of a nutritional supplementation containing 1.5 g of protein/kg/day vs 1.0 g of protein /kg/day in critically ill patients receiving mechanical ventilation on the development and degree of ICUAW.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
200
Inclusion Criteria
  • Critically ill patient
  • ICU admission during the previous 48h
  • Patients on expected invasive mechanical ventilation for three days
  • Patients with a minimum expected duration of clinical nutrition of at least seven days
  • Written informed consent signed by the patient or the patient's legally authorized representative.
  • Available central venous access for continuous infusion of the study drugs.
Exclusion Criteria
  • Denied informed consent
  • Acute renal failure (renal injury stage 3)
  • Liver failure (cirrhosis or Child-Pugh Scale > 5)
  • Severe liver failure with International Normalized Ratio (INR) > 1.7 (prothrombin time > 50%) and encephalopathy
  • Patients with COVID-19-derived pneumonia
  • Body Mass Index (BMI) > 40 or < 18.5 (morbid obesity or previous caloric malnutrition)
  • Pregnant patients
  • Central Nervous System pathologies (Glasgow < 6)
  • Peripheral Nervous System pathologies interfering with study evaluations
  • Patients with cognitive dysfunction/dementia or unable to follow instructions regarding MRC tests
  • Severe muscular pathology
  • Already participating in another clinical trial
  • Impossibility to contact after ICU discharge to carry out the follow-up visit on day 90
  • Known hypersensitivity to milk protein or any of the components of the nutritional supplement
  • Inborn errors in the amino acid metabolism
  • Previous inclusion in the present study

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
Protein dose 1.5 g/kg/dayProtein dose 1.5 g/kg/dayAdministration of 1.5 g of protein/kg/day in critically ill patients receiving invasive mechanical ventilation
Protein dose 1.0 g/kg/dayProtein dose 1.0 g/kg/dayAdministration of 1.0 g of protein/kg/day in critically ill patients receiving invasive mechanical ventilation
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Change of intensive care unit acquired weakness (ICUAW).Baseline, weekly in ICU up to 28 days after mechanical ventilation termination, throughout hospital stay, an expected average of 6 weeks, and 90 days after hospital discharge.

Determined by Medical Research Council sum score (MRC-SS). Diagnosis of ICUAW if MRC-SS \< 48 (maximun score 60).

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Muscle Strength.Up to 6 months.

Dynamometry.

Active mobility.Up to 6 months.

Determined by Intensive Care Unit Mobility Scale (ICUMS). Scored from 0 to 10 being 0 no activity, lying in bed, and 10 walking independently without a gait aid.

Mechanical ventilation.Up to 1 month.

Number of days receiving mechanical ventilation.

Gastrointestinal complications.Throughout hospital stay, an expected average of 6 weeks.

Gastric residual volume, diarrhea, vomiting or regurgitation, abdominal distension, constipation.

Mortality rate.Up to 6 months.

Number of deaths/total participants

Metabolic complications.Throughout hospital stay, an expected average of 6 weeks.

Glycemia, fluid intake, electrolytes/trace element determination, hypertriglyceridemia, liver disfunction, cholestasis, necrosis or mixed dysfunction, overfeeding.

Length of ICU and hospital stay.Throughout hospital stay, an expected average of 6 weeks.

Number of days of hospitalization.

Nosocomial infections.Throughout hospital stay, an expected average of 6 weeks.

Centers for disease control and prevention (CDC).

Quality of life index.Up to 6 months.

European Quality of Life-5 Dimensions (EQ-5D). Scored from 0 to 100 being 0 the worst health imaginable and 100 the best health imaginable.

Trial Locations

Locations (18)

Hospital Universitario Infanta Cristina

🇪🇸

Parla, MAdrid, Spain

Hospital Universitario de Badajoz

🇪🇸

Badajoz, Extremadura, Spain

Hospital Universitario Germans Trias i Pujol

🇪🇸

Badalona, Barcelona, Spain

Hospital Universitario de Bellvitge

🇪🇸

L'Hospitalet De Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain

Hospital General Universitario de Castellón

🇪🇸

Castelló de la Plana, Castelló, Spain

Hospital de Barbastro

🇪🇸

Barbastro, Huesca, Spain

Hospital de Manacor

🇪🇸

Manacor, Mallorca, Spain

Hospital Universitario de Fuenlabrada

🇪🇸

Fuenlabrada, Madrid, Spain

Hospital General Universitario Santa Lucía

🇪🇸

Cartagena, Murcia, Spain

Hospital Universitario San Jorge

🇪🇸

Huesca, Spain

Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre

🇪🇸

Madrid, Spain

Hospital Universitario Doctor Josep Trueta

🇪🇸

Girona, Spain

Hospital Universitario Clínico San Cecilio

🇪🇸

Granada, Spain

Hospital General Universitario Morales Meseguer

🇪🇸

Murcia, Spain

Hospital Universitario Regional de Málaga

🇪🇸

Málaga, Spain

Hospital Universitario La Paz

🇪🇸

Madrid, Spain

Hospital Clínico Universitario Virgen de la Arrixaca

🇪🇸

El Palmar, Murcia, Spain

Hospital General Universitario Los Arcos del Mar Menor

🇪🇸

Pozo Aledo, Murcia, Spain

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