Fulfilling caloric demands according to indirect calorimetry may be beneficial for post cardiac arrest patients under therapeutic hypothermia

IntroductionWe sought to investigate the energy requirements for patients under therapeutic hypothermia, and the relationship of energy fulfillment to patient outcome.Patients and methodsAdult patients admitted to our ICU after successful resuscitation from cardiac arrest for post resuscitation therapeutic hypothermia from April, 2012 to March, 2014 were enrolled. Body temperature was managed using the surface cooling device (Arctic Sun®, IMI). Calorimeter module on the ventilator (Engström carestation®, GE) was used for indirect calorimetry. Energy expenditure (EE) and respiratory quotient (RQ) were recorded continuously, as the average of the recent 2 h. Measurements were started at the hypothermic phase and continued until the rewarming was completed. Cumulative energy deficit was calculated as the sum of difference between EE and daily energy provision for the 4 days during hypothermia therapy.ResultsSeven patients were eligible for analysis. Median EE for the hypothermic phase (day 1) was 1557.0 kcal d−1. EE was elevated according with the rise in body temperature, reaching 2375 kcal d−1 at normothermic phase. There was significant association between cumulative energy deficit and the length of ICU stay, among patients with good neurologic recovery (cerebral performance category (CPC): 1–3).ConclusionThe EE for patients under therapeutic hypothermia was higher than expected. Meeting the energy demand may improve patient outcome, as observed in the length of ICU stay for the present study. A larger, prospective study is awaited to validate the results of our study.