Publications by authors named "Michael P Casaer"

Purpose: Gastrointestinal (GI) dysfunction is common in critically ill patients and associated with poor outcomes. There is a lack of standardised methods for daily monitoring of GI function. COSMOGI aimed to develop a Core Outcome Set (COS) for daily monitoring of GI function to improve consistency and comparability in future studies in critically ill patients.

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  • Micronutrient (MN) alterations in critically ill patients can lead to complications, but improving MN status may help as a supportive therapy.
  • This review, done by a specialized group, focuses on individual important MNs, such as vitamins A, B, C, D, E, as well as minerals like iron and zinc, to guide future research.
  • It emphasizes that high-dose single MN treatments are not advised; instead, patients should receive daily basal needs, with adjustments for higher requirements and treatment for deficiencies, and lists ongoing trials and future research priorities.
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Background: Aberrations in blood phosphate (Pi) levels, whether presenting as hypo- or hyperphosphatemia, appear to be associated with clinical complications and adverse outcomes in patients admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU). However, the prevalence of Pi disorders and the association with subsequent factors and organ failures leading to death in ICU patients are poorly described. Despite endeavors to understand the etiology and treatment of low Pi levels from systematic reviews and meta-analyses, the literature lacks comprehensive guidance for managing hypophosphatemia.

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Background: While gastrointestinal (GI) dysfunction is commonly encountered among critically ill patients, a uniform prospectively validated scoring system is lacking. The present study aims to validate the recently developed Gastrointestinal Dysfunction Score (GIDS) in a multicenter, prospective cohort of consecutive adult patients admitted to intensive care units (ICU).

Methods: GUTPHOS is a prospective, multicenter, non-interventional cohort study in which at least 1400 consecutive adult patients (age ≥18 years) admitted to the ICU will be monitored daily for abdominal signs and symptoms of GI dysfunction.

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Purpose: In critically ill adults, withholding parenteral nutrition until 1 week after intensive care admission (Late-PN) facilitated recovery as compared with early supplementation of insufficient enteral nutrition with parenteral nutrition (Early-PN). However, the impact on long-term mortality and functional outcome, in relation to the estimated nutritional risk, remains unclear.

Methods: In this prospective follow-up study of the multicenter EPaNIC randomized controlled trial, we investigated the impact of Late-PN on 2-year mortality (N = 4640) and physical functioning, assessed by the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36; in 3292 survivors, responding 819 [738-1058] days post-randomization).

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Micronutrients (MN), i.e. trace elements and vitamins, are essential organic molecules, which are required in the diet in relatively small amounts in any form of nutrition (oral, enteral, parenteral).

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Micronutrients (MN), i.e. trace elements and vitamins, are essential components of the diet in relatively small amounts in any form of nutrition, with special needs in critically ill patients.

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Vitamins are essential organic molecules, which are required in the diet in relatively small amounts in any form of nutrition (oral, enteral, parenteral). Despite the small amounts that are required, the vitamins are essential both for maintenance of health, growth, and treatment of disease. After reminding about the principal function of all the vitamins, their needs and the clinical consequences of their deficit, the text present some common clinical problems: the impact of inflammation on the assessment of status.

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Background: Trace elements are an essential component of metabolism and medical nutrition therapy, with key roles in metabolic pathways, antioxidation, and immunity, which the present course aims at summarizing.

Results: Medical nutrition therapy includes the provision of all essential trace elements. The clinical essential issues are summarized for Copper, Iron, Selenium, Zinc, Iodine, Chromium, Molybdenum, and Manganese: the optimal analytical techniques are presented.

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  • Lung transplantations are complex and can lead to complications such as esophageal fistulas (EFs), though they are rare; this study reviewed cases at University Hospitals Leuven to investigate their clinical features and treatment approaches.
  • Among 212 lung transplant patients, 5 (2.4%) developed EFs, primarily presenting with respiratory infections; diagnosis occurred around 28 days post-surgery, using CT scans or esophagogastroscopy.
  • Surgical repair with muscle flap coverage showed an 80% success rate, highlighting the importance of early diagnosis and careful surgical technique to minimize risks and improve patient outcomes.
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Background: Trace elements and vitamins, named together micronutrients (MNs), are essential for human metabolism. The importance of MNs in common pathologies is recognized by recent research, with deficiencies significantly impacting the outcome.

Objective: This short version of the guideline aims to provide practical recommendations for clinical practice.

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Background: Randomized, controlled trials have shown both benefit and harm from tight blood-glucose control in patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). Variation in the use of early parenteral nutrition and in insulin-induced severe hypoglycemia might explain this inconsistency.

Methods: We randomly assigned patients, on ICU admission, to liberal glucose control (insulin initiated only when the blood-glucose level was >215 mg per deciliter [>11.

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Context: Muscle expresses and secretes several myokines that bring about benefits in distant organs.

Objective: We investigated the impact of critical illness on muscular expression of irisin, kynurenine aminotransferases, and amylase; association with clinical outcome; and impact of interventions that attenuate muscle wasting/weakness.

Methods: We studied critically ill patients who participated in 2 randomized controlled trials (EPaNIC/NESCI) and documented time profiles in critically ill mice.

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  • Recent studies indicate that early full nutritional support for critically ill patients does not show benefits and may even cause harm, contrary to previous observational findings.
  • Some researchers think the lack of benefits in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) could be due to a focus on patients with low nutritional risk or inadequate amino acid dosing, but strong evidence is lacking for these claims.
  • Current research hasn’t identified any subgroup that benefits from this early feeding approach, and it suggests exploring alternatives like fasting-mimicking diets or ketone supplementation, as traditional indirect calorimetry may not accurately reflect patient needs during the acute phase.
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A multidisciplinary group of international physicians involved in the medical nutrition therapy (MNT) of adult critically ill patients met to discuss the value, role, and open questions regarding supplemental parenteral nutrition (SPN) along with oral or enteral nutrition (EN), particularly in the intensive care unit (ICU) setting. This manuscript summarizes the discussions and results to highlight the importance of SPN as part of a comprehensive approach to MNT in critically ill adults and for researchers to generate new evidence based on well-powered randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The experts agreed on several key points: SPN has shown clinical benefits, resulting in this strategy being included in American and European guidelines.

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Traumatic brain injury (TBI) remains one of the most fatal and debilitating conditions in the world. Current clinical management in severe TBI patients is mainly concerned with reducing secondary insults and optimizing the balance between substrate delivery and consumption. Over the past decades, multimodality monitoring has become more widely available, and clinical management protocols have been published that recommend potential interventions to correct pathophysiological derangements.

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Background: Trace elements and vitamins, named together micronutrients (MNs), are essential for human metabolism. Recent research has shown the importance of MNs in common pathologies, with significant deficiencies impacting the outcome.

Objective: This guideline aims to provide information for daily clinical nutrition practice regarding assessment of MN status, monitoring, and prescription.

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Background: Intensive care unit (ICU)-acquired weakness can persist beyond ICU stay and has been associated with long-term functional impairment of ICU survivors. Recently, DNA methylation alterations were found in the blood of ICU patients, partially explaining long-term developmental impairment of critically ill children. As illness-induced aberrant DNA methylation theoretically could also be involved in long-term weakness, we investigated whether the DNA methylation signature in muscle of adult critically ill patients differs from that in muscle of healthy controls.

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Purpose: To evaluate aerobic exercise capacity in 5-year intensive care unit (ICU) survivors and to assess the association between severity of organ failure in ICU and exercise capacity up to 5-year follow-up.

Methods: Secondary analysis of the EPaNIC follow-up cohort (NCT00512122) including 433 patients screened with cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) between 1 and 5 years following ICU admission. Exercise capacity in 5-year ICU survivors (N = 361) was referenced to a historic sedentary population and further compared to demographically matched controls (N = 49).

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Background: Recent evidence suggests a potentially protective effect of increasing ketone body availability via accepting low macronutrient intake early after onset of critical illness. The impact of blood glucose control with insulin on circulating ketones is unclear. Whereas lowering blood glucose may activate ketogenesis, high insulin concentrations may have the opposite effect.

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