Associations of measured resting energy expenditure with predictive equations, NUTRIC score, and patient outcomes.

Background: Indirect calorimetry is the reference method for measuring resting energy expenditure (REE), but the necessary equipment and technical expertise are not always available. Meanwhile, the NUTrition Risk in the Critically ill (NUTRIC) scale is designed to identify patients who would benefit from nutrition therapy, but no data are available regarding the association of NUTRIC scores with REE. Several predictive formulas are available as alternatives to indirect calorimetry for calculation of energy requirements, but they have not been compared in a homogeneous group of critically ill patients.