Enteral feeding practices in European ICUs: A survey from the European federation of critical care nursing associations (EfCCNa)

SummaryBackgroundEvidence-based enteral feeding guidelines have being developed for use in critically ill patients. However, current enteral nutrition practices in European intensive care units are unknown. The aim of this study was to assess current feeding practices in European intensive care.MethodsA cross-sectional survey of enteral feeding practices in 383 intensive care units from 20 European countries was conducted using a 51-item self-administered questionnaire.ResultsA response rate of 99.2% was recorded in this survey. Responding intensive care units was mostly from public hospitals (90.8%). Only 36.1% was supported by a nutritional support team, yet the majority had an in-house feeding protocol (75.7%). Bowel sounds (67.9%) and gastric residual volume (56.6%) were the selected criteria for initiating enteral nutrition. Enteral nutrition was commenced within the first 24 h following admission in 82.7% of units, using mostly a standard feed (58.7%). Gastrointestinal tolerance was assessed every day (79.4%). Metoclopramide (40.6%), rather than erythromycin (19.9%), was used as a prokinetic.ConclusionEnteral feeding practices vary across European intensive care units. In accordance with recent research-based recommendations for intensive care, a standardized, evidence-based approach to enteral feeding should be more effectively promoted across all European countries.