Enteral nutrition on discharge from intensive care and 30-day unplanned readmission: An exploratory, retrospective study of association

Background & aims: Individuals who survive critical illness are often malnourished with inadequate oral nutrient intake after leaving the intensive care unit (ICU). Enteral nutrition (EN) improves nutrient intake but there is limited evidence on the impact of maintaining EN after discharge from the ICU. The objective of this exploratory study was to understand the association between EN maintenance after ICU and 30-day unplanned hospital re-admission, to inform on future prospective research into the effects of post-ICU nutrition.

Methods: This was a single-centre, retrospective study of ICU patients, requiring ventilation, who received EN for at least 3 days in ICU and were discharged to the ward.

Results: 102 patients met the inclusion criteria; 45 (44.1%) maintained EN and 57 (55.9%) discontinued EN after ICU discharge; there were no significant differences in demographics or clinical measures at ICU admission. Reason for EN discontinuation was documented in 38 (66.7%) patients, with 27 (71%) discontinuing EN due to a routine ward practice of feeding tube removal. Unplanned 30-day hospital re-admission occurred in 17 (16.7%) patients overall, 5 (11.1%) in the EN group and 12 (21.1%) in the non-EN group (crude odds ratio [OR] 0.47, 95% CI 0.15, 1.45, p = 0.188). After adjusting for age, sex, BMI and length of stay, there was a persistent trend to lower re-admission rates in the EN group (OR 0.37, 95% CI 0.09, 1.57, p = 0.176).

Conclusions: EN maintenance after ICU discharge was associated with a trend to lower 30-day unplanned hospital re-admission rates. The clinically relevant reduction of about 50% in unplanned re-admission rates in this exploratory study warrants larger, prospective studies of post-ICU nutrition strategies based on clear discontinuation criteria to optimize nutrition and evaluate patient-centred outcomes.