Contribution of intravenous medication to water and sodium intake in upper and lower gastrointestinal surgical patients.

Objectives: The quantitative importance of prescribed intravenous (IV) medication to water and sodium intake in routine clinical practice is undocumented, with uncertain influence on clinical outcomes. The present study aimed to redress this issue in surgical patients with gastrointestinal problems.

Methods: The prescription and administration of IV medication and fluids were retrospectively reviewed for water and sodium over 24-h periods in 86 patients in upper and lower gastrointestinal surgical wards in two teaching hospitals.

Critical evaluation of muscle mass loss as a prognostic marker of morbidity in critically ill patients and methods for its determination.

Objective: Loss of muscle mass in critically ill patients is associated with serious consequences, such as prolonged mechanical ventilation, intensive care unit confinement, and higher mortality. Thus, monitoring muscle mass, and especially its decline, should provide a useful indicator of morbidity and mortality. Performing evaluations according only to body mass index is imperfect, therefore the aim of this article was to evaluate appropriate methods for muscle mass loss determination in ICU patients.

Prognostic value of respiratory quotients in severe polytrauma patients with nutritional support.

Objective: The association between energy metabolism and prognosis in polytrauma patients has not yet been defined. The aim of this study was to describe energy metabolism and analyze the prognostic value of respiratory quotient (RQ) and nonprotein respiratory quotient (npRQ) in fasting polytrauma patients (fPP) and polytrauma patients with nutritional support (nsPP).

Methods: Twenty-two polytrauma patients (before and after parenteral nutrition administration) and 22 healthy controls (after overnight fasting) were examined on day 4 (median) after admission to the intensive care unit.

Hand grip endurance test relates to clinical state and prognosis in COPD patients better than 6-minute walk test distance.

Purpose: Patients with COPD present peripheral muscle dysfunction and atrophy, expressed as muscle strength and endurance reduction. The goal of this study was direct dynamometric assessment of hand grip endurance and strength in relation to the stage of disease, multidimensional predictors of mortality, and 6-minute walk test (6MWT). To the best of our knowledge, there has been no previous study determining these parameters.

Energy, Protein, Carbohydrate, and Lipid Intakes and Their Effects on Morbidity and Mortality in Critically Ill Adult Patients: A Systematic Review.

The guidelines for nutritional support in critically ill adult patients differ in various aspects. The optimal amount of energy and nutritional substrates supplied is important for reducing morbidity and mortality, but unfortunately this is not well known, because the topic is complex and every patient is individual. The aim of this review was to gather recent pertinent information concerning the nutritional support of critically ill patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) with respect to the energy, protein, carbohydrate, and lipid intakes and the effect of their specific utilization on morbidity and mortality.