Skip to main content
Journal cover image

The future of critical care nutrition therapy.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Wischmeyer, PE; Heyland, DK
Published in: Crit Care Clin
July 2010

At present, we are in a "revival" period in clinical nutrition in critical care, especially in the area of "pharmaconutrition." Adequate nutrition may hinge not only on how many calories are provided but also on the ability to provide key pharmacologically acting nutrients. Traditionally, nutrition has been viewed as vital for metabolism, growth, and repair. But, it is now known that some nutrients, when given in therapeutic doses, appear to serve as pharmacologic agents to improve clinically relevant outcomes. Thus, larger therapeutic doses of specific nutrients may be required to replace acute deficiencies brought on by specific injury or disease states. Recent data also imply that the number of calories and protein delivered early in the intensive care unit (ICU) stay has a significant effect on outcome in at-risk patients. It is thought that the future of ICU nutrition will involve administering early nutrition preferentially via the enteral route. Supplementation by parenteral route may be used in at-risk patients when adequate enteral calories cannot be provided. Specific pharmaconutrients can also be administered as separate components, much like a drug is given. Large multicenter trials are planned or are underway to test these hypotheses. The use of basic clinical pharmacology, molecular biology, and clinical research principles in the study of nutritional therapy will lead to answers on how to administer the right nutrients, in the right amounts, at the right time to critically ill patients.

Duke Scholars

Published In

Crit Care Clin

DOI

EISSN

1557-8232

Publication Date

July 2010

Volume

26

Issue

3

Start / End Page

433 / vii

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Nutrition Therapy
  • Humans
  • Energy Metabolism
  • Energy Intake
  • Emergency & Critical Care Medicine
  • Critical Illness
  • 4205 Nursing
  • 3202 Clinical sciences
  • 1110 Nursing
  • 1103 Clinical Sciences
 

Citation

APA
Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
NLM
Wischmeyer, P. E., & Heyland, D. K. (2010). The future of critical care nutrition therapy. Crit Care Clin, 26(3), 433–vii. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ccc.2010.04.011
Wischmeyer, Paul E., and Daren K. Heyland. “The future of critical care nutrition therapy.Crit Care Clin 26, no. 3 (July 2010): 433–vii. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ccc.2010.04.011.
Wischmeyer PE, Heyland DK. The future of critical care nutrition therapy. Crit Care Clin. 2010 Jul;26(3):433–vii.
Wischmeyer, Paul E., and Daren K. Heyland. “The future of critical care nutrition therapy.Crit Care Clin, vol. 26, no. 3, July 2010, pp. 433–vii. Pubmed, doi:10.1016/j.ccc.2010.04.011.
Wischmeyer PE, Heyland DK. The future of critical care nutrition therapy. Crit Care Clin. 2010 Jul;26(3):433–vii.
Journal cover image

Published In

Crit Care Clin

DOI

EISSN

1557-8232

Publication Date

July 2010

Volume

26

Issue

3

Start / End Page

433 / vii

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Nutrition Therapy
  • Humans
  • Energy Metabolism
  • Energy Intake
  • Emergency & Critical Care Medicine
  • Critical Illness
  • 4205 Nursing
  • 3202 Clinical sciences
  • 1110 Nursing
  • 1103 Clinical Sciences