title: Enteral nutrition discontinuation and outcomes in general critically ill patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the relationship between enteral nutrition discontinuation and outcome in general critically ill patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  All patients admitted to a mixed intensive care unit in a tertiary care hospital from May-August 2009 were screened for an indication for enteral nutrition. Patients were followed up until leaving the intensive care unit or a maximum of 28 days. The gastrointestinal failure score was calculated daily by adding values of 0 if the enteral nutrition received was identical to the nutrition prescribed, 1 if the enteral nutrition received was at least 75% of that prescribed, 2 if the enteral nutrition received was between 50-75% of that prescribed, 3 if the enteral nutrition received was between 50-25% of that prescribed, and 4 if the enteral nutrition received was less than 25% of that prescribed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean, worst, and categorical gastrointestinal failure scores were associated with lower survival in these patients. Age, categorical gastrointestinal failure score, type of admission, need for mechanical ventilation, sequential organ failure assessment, and Acute Physiologic and Chronic Health Evaluation II scores were selected for analysis with binary regression. In both models, the categorical gastrointestinal failure score was related to mortality.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The determination of the difference between prescribed and received enteral nutrition seemed to be a useful prognostic marker and is feasible to be incorporated into a gastrointestinal failure score.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Fisiopatologia Experimental, Unidade Acadêmica de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade do Extremo Sul Catarinense, Criciúma/SC, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marco Antonio
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: Saionara da Graca Freitas dos
authors.initials: Sda G
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.forename: Cristiane Damiani
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Tomasi
authors.forename: Gabrielle da
authors.initials: Gd
authors.lastname: Luz
authors.forename: Marcos Marques da Silva
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Paula
authors.forename: Felipe Dal
authors.initials: FD
authors.lastname: Pizzol
authors.forename: Cristiane
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ritter
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D001938:Brazil; D016638:Critical Illness / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D004750:Enteral Nutrition / Q000379:methods*; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005260:Female; D041981:Gastrointestinal Tract / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome