Rosa Mendes

Bio: Rosa Mendes is an academic researcher. The author has contributed to research in topics: Risk assessment & Prospective cohort study. The author has an hindex of 1, co-authored 1 publications receiving 62 citations.

Current Evidence about Nutrition Support in Cardiac Surgery Patients—What Do We Know?

Abstract: Nutrition support is increasingly recognized as a clinically relevant aspect of the intensive care treatment of cardiac surgery patients. However, evidence from adequate large-scale studies evaluating its clinical significance for patients’ mid- to long-term outcome remains sparse. Considering nutrition support as a key component in the perioperative treatment of these critically ill patients led us to review and discuss our understanding of the metabolic response to the inflammatory burst induced by cardiac surgery. In addition, we discuss how to identify patients who may benefit from nutrition therapy, when to start nutritional interventions, present evidence about the use of enteral and parenteral nutrition and the potential role of pharmaconutrition in cardiac surgery patients. Although the clinical setting of cardiac surgery provides advantages due to its scheduled insult and predictable inflammatory response, researchers and clinicians face lack of evidence and several limitations in the clinical routine, which are critically considered and discussed in this paper.

Use of Nutrition Risk in Critically ill (NUTRIC) Score to Assess Nutritional Risk in Mechanically Ventilated Patients: A Prospective Observational Study.

Abstract: Context: Nutritional risk assessment must be done on all critically ill patients Malnutrition in intensive care unit (ICU) patients is associated with adverse clinical outcomes Traditional scoring systems cannot be used for screening in mechanically ventilated (MV) patients because these patients are unable to provide information on their history of food intake and weight loss The Nutrition Risk in Critically ill (NUTRIC) score is the appropriate nutritional assessment tool in MV patients Aims: This prospective observational study was conducted to identify the nutritional risk in MV patients using modified NUTRIC (mNUTRIC) score (with the exception of interleukin-6) Patients and Methods: All adult patients admitted to the ICU and required MV for more than 48 h were included in the study Data were collected on variables required to calculate mNUTRIC score Patients with mNUTRIC score ≥5 are considered at nutritional risk Outcome data were collected on ICU length of stay, ventilator-free days, and mortality Results: A total of 678 MV patients fit into the inclusion criteria Majority of the patients were male (67%) Mean age of the patients was 55 years About 288 (425%) patients were at high nutritional risk (mNUTRIC score ≥5) Patients with high mNUTRIC score ≥5 had longer mean ICU average length of stay of 90 (±42) versus 78 (±58) mean (± standard deviation) days ( P P Conclusions: Nearly 425% of MV patients admitted to ICU were at nutritional risk, and high mNUTRIC score was associated with increased ICU length of stay and higher mortality

Protein Delivery in the Intensive Care Unit: Optimal or Suboptimal?

Abstract: Emerging evidence suggests that exogenous protein/amino acid supplementation has the potential to improve the recovery of critically ill patients. After a careful review of the published evidence, experts have concluded that critically ill patients should receive up to 2.0-2.5 g/kg/d of protein. Despite this, however, recent review of current International Nutrition Survey data suggests that protein in critically ill patients is underprescribed and grossly underdelivered. Furthermore, the survey suggests that most of protein administration comes from enteral nutrition (EN) despite the availability of products and protocols that enhance the delivery of protein/amino acids in the intensive care unit (ICU) setting. While future research clarifies the dose, timing, and composition for exogenous protein administration, as well as identification of patients who will benefit the most, ongoing process improvement initiatives should target a concerted effort to increase protein intake in the critically ill. This assertion follows from the notion that current patients are possibly being harmed while we wait for confirmatory evidence. Further research should also develop better tools to enable bedside practitioners to monitor optimal or adequate protein intake for individual patients. Finally, exploring the effect of combining adequate protein delivery with early mobility and/or resistance exercise in the ICU setting has the greatest potential for improving the functional outcomes of survivors of critical illness and warrants further study.

Determination of Nutrition Risk and Status in Critically Ill Patients: What Are Our Considerations?

Abstract: The stress catabolism state predisposes critically ill patients to a high risk of malnutrition. This, coupled with inadequate or delayed nutrition provision, will lead to further deterioration of nutrition status. Preexisting malnutrition and iatrogenic underfeeding are associated with increased risk of adverse complications. Therefore, accurate detection of patients who are malnourished and/or with high nutrition risk is important for timely and optimal nutrition intervention. Various tools have been developed for nutrition screening and assessment for hospitalized patients, but not all are studied or validated in critically ill populations. In this review article, we consider the pathophysiology of malnutrition in critical illness and the currently available literature to develop recommendations for nutrition screening and assessment. We suggest the use of the (modified) Nutrition Risk in the Critically Ill (mNUTRIC) for nutrition risk screening and the subjective global assessment (SGA) together with other criteria relevant to the critically ill patients, such as gastrointestinal function, risk of aspiration, determination of sarcopenia and frailty, and risk of refeeding syndrome for nutrition assessment. Further research is needed to identify suitable nutrition monitoring indicators to determine the response to the provision of nutrition.