Will Feeding An Acute Lung Injury Patient Less Benefit Them More?

By Todd W. Rice, MD

As we reported in Pulmonary Reviews, Todd W. Rice, MD, from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, and colleagues from the NIH ARDS Network conducted the EDEN trial—a randomized multicenter trial of 1,000 patients with acute lung injury—to determine if either trophic or full enteral feeding would reduce ventilator-free days or mortality. This research was presented at the Society of Critical Care Medicine’s 41st Critical Care Congress and also published in the February 22 JAMA. Rice elaborated on the study in his commentary below. (You can also listen to his audiocast.) Please weigh in with your opinion on the topic in the comments.

Mechanically ventilated patients are unable to provide for their own nutrition. Consequently, they are provided artificial nutrition, often in the form of enteral feeds. However, the optimal amount of enteral feeding to provide patients remains unknown, especially early in the critical illness.