Management and Treatment of Patients With Severe Malnutrition in Intensive Care Unit: a Registry

Severe malnutrition can be seen as a low BMI, great weight loss, and even low levels of micronutrients. Current studies on severe malnutrition are mainly in patient with anorexia nervosa. The refeeding phase of these high-risk patients bears a further threat to health and potentially fatal complications (such as refeeding syndrome, infection and severe arrhythmia).

Intensive care unit of Peking University Third Hospital (PUTH) has treated several patients with severe malnutrition successfully since 2008. Most of these patients had a BMI < 10 (kg/m2) at admission. After admission, a multidisciplinary team, consisting of specialists in the field of intensive care, pharmacy, psychology, and physical therapy assessed all patients. Most of the treatment has been regarded successful with a significant BMI gain and little in-hospital mortality. Based on long-term clinical experience, as well as on evidence-based literature, PUTH nutrition group developed a guideline version 1.0 for the treatment of severe malnutrition in August, 2015.

The objective of this study is to investigate complications due to refeeding of patients with severe malnutrition, as well as their mortality rate, establish and modify the guideline for management of severe malnutrition in PUTH.

This is a single-center, ambispective cohort study. Patients who meet the inclusion and exclusion criteria will be included in our registry. As a non-intervention study, these information as below will be collected: reason for admission, relevant medical history, basic demographic characteristics,anthropometric and clinical data, specific nutrition support regimen and outcomes.