title: Critical care nutrition: reducing the risk of aspiration.
abstract: While aspiration is a fairly common event for critically ill patients on enteral tube feeding, progression to aspiration pneumonia is difficult to predict due to variation in host factors and characteristics of the aspirate material. Aspiration of oropharyngeal secretions is of equal if not greater importance than aspiration of gastric contents. Monitors for aspiration such as glucose oxidase, blue food coloring, and gastric residual volumes are insensitive and unreliable. A number of clinical risk factors can be identified at the bedside. A variety of management strategies may be used in the intensive care unit to reduce risk of aspiration, while efforts continue to provide sufficient volume of enteral nutrients.
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology/Hepatology, University of Louisville School of Medicine, 550 S. Jackson St, Louisville, KY 40202, USA. samcclave@louisville.edu
authors.forename: Stephen A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: McClave
authors.forename: Gerald W
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Dryden
mesh_terms: D003422:Critical Care; D003679:Deglutition / Q000502:physiology; D004750:Enteral Nutrition / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005505:Food Coloring Agents; D005949:Glucose Oxidase / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D007441:Intubation, Gastrointestinal / Q000009:adverse effects; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011015:Pneumonia, Aspiration / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D005505:Food Coloring Agents; D005949:Glucose Oxidase