The impact of enteral feeding intolerance on the prognosis of patients with septic shock in South Korea

Background While enteral feeding intolerance (EFI) is associated with worse clinical outcomes in critically ill patients, the relationship between the number of days of EFI and mortality outcomes remains unclear. Methods We retrospectively analyzed adult patients admitted to the medical intensive ca...

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Main Authors: Hyun-Jun Park, Yoon Hae Ahn, Hong Yeul Lee, Sang-Min Lee, Jinwoo Lee
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Korean Society of Critical Care Medicine 2025-05-01
Series:Acute and Critical Care
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Online Access:http://accjournal.org/upload/pdf/acc-000700.pdf
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Summary:Background While enteral feeding intolerance (EFI) is associated with worse clinical outcomes in critically ill patients, the relationship between the number of days of EFI and mortality outcomes remains unclear. Methods We retrospectively analyzed adult patients admitted to the medical intensive care unit (ICU) with septic shock at a tertiary referral center. EFI was defined as the presence of vomiting, abdominal distension, pain, diarrhea, or radiographic evidence of ileus. EFI status was assessed daily, and we evaluated the prognostic impact of total number of EFI days during the first 3 days of enteral feeding on clinical outcomes. Results A total of 94 patients were included in the analysis, with 77 (81.9%) experiencing EFI. During the first 3 days of enteral feeding, 25 patients (26.6%) experienced EFI for 1 day, 22 patients (23.4%) experienced EFI for 2 days, and 30 patients (31.9%) experienced EFI for all 3 days. The total number of EFI days was identified as an independent risk factor of 90-day mortality (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.400; 95% CI, 1.021–1.919). Higher total EFI days was significantly associated with increased ICU mortality (P for trend=0.036), in-hospital mortality (P for trend=0.007), 30-day mortality (P for trend=0.004), and 90-day mortality (P for trend=0.006). Conclusions An increase in the total number of EFI days was significantly associated with mortality outcomes in patients with septic shock, suggesting that EFI may serve as a useful indicator for predicting outcomes in this population.
ISSN:2586-6052
2586-6060