MedPath

Investigating Nutrition and Functional Outcome in Critically Ill Patients

Completed
Conditions
Obese Patients
Elderly Patients
Abdominal Surgery Patients
Neurosurgical Patients
Cardiac Surgery Patients
Interventions
Other: Functional tests without clinical consequence for the patients therapy
Registration Number
NCT04180852
Lead Sponsor
RWTH Aachen University
Brief Summary

This is a single-center, multi-ICU prospective observational trial evaluating current nutritional practice and its influence of the physical function of critically ill patients.

Detailed Description

The investigators propose a prospective observational, single-center, multi-intensive care unit trial to evaluate the influence of current nutritional practice on the physical outcome in critically ill patients. At least 100 consecutive patients requiring surgery, who are admitted to any surgical ICU at the University Hospital RWTH Aachen will be recruited. Nutritional practices, such as dosage, timing and route of administration of the nutrition, as well as complications regarding the nutrition will be recorded and analyzed longitudinally from ICU-admission until hospital discharge. Patient outcomes, such as ICU- and hospital length of stay, duration of mechanical ventilation, organ dysfunction, complications and infections will be evaluated. To assess physical function of the patient, muscle mass, muscle strength, the ability of the patient to self-mobilize and perform every day activities will be measured.

This observational trial aims to assess the current standard of nutritional practice in the ICU, to detect problems and complications and to gather first evidences about the influence of nutrition on the physical function of the patient. This study also aims to compare the outcome of the predefined subgroups of critically ill patients.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
COMPLETED
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
100
Inclusion Criteria
  • Informed consent
  • Adult patients (≥ 18 years)
  • Patients admitted to a surgical ICU requiring surgical Intervention
  • Patients requiring sedation and invasive ventilation for ≥ 48 hours
  • Patients with an expected ICU-length of stay ≥ 72 hours
Exclusion Criteria
  • Pregnant or lactating patients
  • Patients already receiving an intense nutrition support (home parenteral or enteral nutrition) in addition to normal nutrition on hospital admission
  • Patients with disabling disease (neurological or physical) that prevents them from walking, sitting or standing before ICU admission
  • Patients unable to follow orders from the study personnel (language barriers, neurological, psychiatric disorders)
  • Death expected within 96 hours after admission due to severity of disease
  • Enrolment in an industry sponsored randomized trial within the last 30 days (co-enrolment in academic randomized trials will be considered on a case by case basis)

Study & Design

Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Study Design
Not specified
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
Obese patientsFunctional tests without clinical consequence for the patients therapyBMI ≥ 35 kg/m2, furthermore predefined subgroups of patients with BMI ≥ 40 kg/m2 and BMI ≥ 45 kg/m2
Neurosurgical patientsFunctional tests without clinical consequence for the patients therapyNon-elective admission to the neurosurgical ICU with one of the following acute intracranial pathologies which also serve as predefined subgroups: 1. Intracranial hemorrhage (subarachnoid, subdural hemorrhage or intracerebral hemorrhage) 2. Acute and severe head trauma with an initial Glasgow Coma Scale ≤10
Cardiac surgery patientsFunctional tests without clinical consequence for the patients therapyAdmission to the cardiosurgical ICU after one of the following procedures using cardiopulmonary bypass, which also serve as predefined subgroups: 1. Coronary revascularization (coronary artery bypass graft) 2. Heart valve surgery 3. Combined or complex heart surgery
Abdominal surgical patientsFunctional tests without clinical consequence for the patients therapyAdmission to the abdominal surgery ICU after abdominal surgery
Elderly patientsFunctional tests without clinical consequence for the patients therapyAge ≥ 70 years, predefined subgroups: ≥ 70 years and ≥80 years
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Nutritional Status - nutritional screeningintensive care unit (ICU) admission, up to 1 week

Nutritional Risk Screening 2002 (Score: 0-7; if ≥3 patient at nutritional risk)

Timing of nutritionuntil discharge from intensive care unit, an average of 30 days

Chart Review- start and stop times

Change in Physical function - Manual Muscle Testing (MMT)discharge from intensive care unit and hospital discharge, up to 3 months

MMT

Change in Physical function - Lawton Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL)Hospital discharge, day 30 after study inclusion, up to 3 months

IADL (score 0-8; the higher the more independent)

Change in Fat massStudy inclusion, discharge from intensive care unit and hospital discharge, up to 3 months

Thigh and abdominal fat (ultrasound)

Nutritional status - basic demographicsat Study inclusion

Chart review

Nutritional Status - nutritional risk in the critically ill (NUTRIC)ICU admission, up to 1 week

NUTRIC score (Score 0-10; if interleucin-6 (IL6) available 0-5=low malnutrition risk; if IL6 not available 0-4= at low malnutrition risk

Nutritional Status - Waist and mid-arm circumferencesStudy inclusion, up to 1 week

Waist and mid-arm circumferences

Incidence of Refeeding syndromedischarge from intensive care unit, an average of 30 days

Chart review

Incidence of complications related to the route of administrationdischarge from intensive care unit, an average of 30 days

Chart review (central venous catheter infection, misplaced and dislocated enteral feeding tubes)

Differences of dosage of nutritionuntil discharge from intensive care unit, an average of 30 days

Cumulative delivery of macronutrients by nutrition used

Timing of nutrition - reason for discontinuationat discharge from intensive care unit, an average of 30 days

Chart review

Incidence of Gastrointestinal symptomsdischarge from intensive care unit, an average of 30 days

Chart review (vomiting, nausea, high gastric residual volumes, diarrhea, obstipation, aspiration, ileus, bowel ischemia)

Differences in route of administration of nutritiondischarge from intensive care unit, an average of 30 days

Rates of oral, enteral and parenteral nutrition, feeding tubes and catheters used for nutrition

Incidence Blood work irregularitiesdischarge from intensive care unit, an average of 30 days

Chart review (electrolyte imbalance, blood sugar imbalance, dyslipidemia)

Nutrition adequacydischarge from intensive care unit, an average of 30 days

Rates of energy and protein received in comparison to nutritional targets Chart review

Change in Muscle mass - Mid-arm circumference (MAC)Study inclusion, discharge from intensive care unit and hospital discharge, up to 3 months

MAC

Change in Muscle mass - Quadriceps thicknessStudy inclusion, discharge from intensive care unit and hospital discharge, up to 3 months

ultrasound

Change in Physical function - Short Physical Performance Batterydischarge from intensive care unit and hospital discharge, up to 3 months

Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) (Score: 0-12; 0=worst performance and 12=best performance)

Change in Muscle mass - Quadriceps cross sectional areaStudy inclusion, discharge from intensive care unit and hospital discharge, up to 3 months

ultrasound

Change in Muscle strength - Handgrip strengthdischarge from intensive care unit and hospital discharge, up to 3 months

Dynamometry

Change in Physical function - Functional Status Score for the ICUdischarge from intensive care unit and hospital discharge, up to 3 months

Functional Status Score for Intensive Care Unit (FSS-ICU) (Score 0-35; the higher the score, the better physical functioning)

Change in Muscle strength - Quadriceps strengthdischarge from intensive care unit and hospital discharge, up to 3 months

Dynamometry

Change in Physical function - 6-Minute Walk Testdischarge from intensive care unit and hospital discharge, up to 3 months

6-minute walking distance

Change in Physical function - Clinical Frailty Score (CFS)Study inclusion, Hospital discharge, day 30 after study inclusion, up to 3 months

CFS (score 1-9; 1= Very fit and 9=terminally ill)

Change in Neuro-psychological function - Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE)discharge from intensive care unit, Hospital discharge, day 30 after study inclusion, up to 3 months

MMSE (Score 0-30; 30= no dementia and \<9= severe dementia)

Quality of life - Short Form 36 (SF-36)day 30 after study inclusion

SF-36 (Score: 0-100; 100=no limitation in daily life and 0=completely limited)

Change in Neuro-psychological function - Becks Depression Inventory (BDI)discharge from intensive care unit, Hospital discharge, day 30 after study inclusion, up to 3 months

BDI (Score 0-63; 0= no depression and 63= severe depression)

Quality of life - Living locationday 30 after study inclusion

Rates of patients being discharged to nursing home, rehabilitation, home care etc. Discharge location used as surrogate for physical fitness after hospital discharge.

Change in Physical function - Katz Activities of Daily Living (ADL)Hospital discharge, day 30 after study inclusion, up to 3 months

ADL (Score: 0-100; the higher the more independent)

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Readmission - Hospital readmission rateup to 30 days after study inclusion, up to 3 months

Hospital readmission rate

Change in acute organ dysfunction - sepsis-related organ failure assessment (SOFA score)up to discharge from intensive care unit, an average of 30 days

daily records (score 0-24; 0=normal function and 24= massively impaired function)

Acute organ dysfunction - Richmond Agitation Scaleup to discharge from intensive care unit, an average of 30 days

Richmond Agitation Scale (score: +4 - -5; +4=aggressive behavior, 0=calm,-5=not reacting to verbal or physical approaches)

Mortality Rateup to 30 days after study inclusion

Mortality

Length of stay - Hospital length of stayHospital discharge, an average of 60 days

Hospital length of stay

Readmission - ICU readmission rateHospital discharge, day 30 after study inclusion, up to 3 months

ICU readmission rate

Acute organ dysfunction - hemodynamic parametersup to discharge from intensive care unit, an average of 30 days

heart rate bpm

Persistent Organ Dysfunction - Incidence of renal replacement therapyHospital discharge, day 30 after study inclusion, up to 3 months

renal replacement therapy

Complications - Rate of hemorrhageHospital discharge, day 30 after study inclusion, up to 3 months

hemorrhage

Length of stay - intensive care unit length of staydischarge from intensive care unit, an average of 30 days

ICU length of stay

Acute organ dysfunction - sedationup to discharge from intensive care unit, an average of 30 days

dosage of sedation, cumulative dosage in ml/d

Complications - Rate of cardiovascular eventsHospital discharge, day 30 after study inclusion, up to 3 months

cardiovascular events

Acute organ dysfunction - incidence of ventilationup to discharge from intensive care unit, an average of 30 days

mode of ventilation

Acute organ dysfunction - duration of ventilationup to discharge from intensive care unit, an average of 30 days

hours of ventilation

Complications - Rate of surgical reevaluationHospital discharge, day 30 after study inclusion, up to 3 months

surgical reevaluation

Complications - Rate of sepsisHospital discharge, day 30 after study inclusion, up to 3 months

sepsis

Acute organ dysfunction - Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU (CAM-ICU)up to discharge from intensive care unit, an average of 30 days

CAM-ICU (score: 0-10; more than 2 errors= delirium)

Persistent Organ Dysfunction - Incidence of mechanical ventilationHospital discharge, day 30 after study inclusion, up to 3 months

need for ventilation

Persistent Organ Dysfunction - Incidence of hemodynamic parametersHospital discharge, day 30 after study inclusion, up to 3 months

vasopressors

Complications - Rate of thromboembolic eventsHospital discharge, day 30 after study inclusion, up to 3 months

thromboembolic events

Complications - Rate of infectionHospital discharge, day 30 after study inclusion, up to 3 months

infection

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

RWTH Aachen University Hospital

🇩🇪

Aachen, NRW, Germany

© Copyright 2025. All Rights Reserved by MedPath