<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><sec id="j_raon-2017-0060_s_005_w2aab3b7c11b1b6b1aab1c18b1Aa"><h3>Background</h3><p>Commercial enteral formulas are generally recommended for gastrostomy feeding in patients with severe neurologic impairment. However, pureed food diets are still widely used and even gaining popularity among certain groups. We tried to compare the effectiveness of gastrostomy feeding for treatment of severe malnutrition with either enteral formulas or pureed feeds.</p></sec><sec id="j_raon-2017-0060_s_006_w2aab3b7c11b1b6b1aab1c18b2Aa"><h3>Patients and methods</h3><p>A 6-month nutritional intervention was made with 37 malnourished children, adolescents and young adults (2–26 years old) with severe neurologic impairment (Gross Motor Function Classification system [GMFCS] grade V). The individual needs were calculated. Participants were fed by gastrostomy with either enteral formulas (n = 17) or pureed food (n = 20). Measurements to assess nutritional status were made at the beginning and at the end of intervention.</p></sec><sec id="j_raon-2017-0060_s_007_w2aab3b7c11b1b6b1aab1c18b3Aa"><h3>Results</h3><p>The Z scores for weight-for-age and for the body-mass index increased more in enteral formula than in pureed food group (2.07 <italic>vs</italic>. 0.70, p = 0.0012; and 3.75 <italic>vs</italic>. 0.63, p = 0.0014, respectively). Fat mass index increased more in enteral formula than in pureed food group (1.12 kg/m<sup>2</sup><italic>vs</italic>. 0.38 kg/m<sup>2</sup>; p = 0.0012). Patients in the enteral formula group showed increase in lean body mass expressed as fat-free mass index (0.70 kg/m<sup>2</sup>), while those in pureed food group did not (-0.06 kg/m<sup>2</sup>) (p = 0.0487).</p></sec><sec id="j_raon-2017-0060_s_008_w2aab3b7c11b1b6b1aab1c18b4Aa"><h3>Conclusions</h3><p>The results suggest that even professionally planned pureed food diet is less effective than commercial enteral formula for nutritional rehabilitation of malnourished patients with severe neurologic impairment. However, larger and if possible randomised clinical studies should be made to confirm our findings.</p></sec></abstract>

BackgroundCommercial enteral formulas are generally recommended for gastrostomy feeding in patients with severe neurologic impairment. However, pureed food diets are still widely used and even gaining popularity among certain groups. We tried to compare the effectiveness of gastrostomy feeding for treatment of severe malnutrition with either enteral formulas or pureed feeds.Patients and methodsA 6-month nutritional intervention was made with 37 malnourished children, adolescents and young adults (2–26 years old) with severe neurologic impairment (Gross Motor Function Classification system [GMFCS] grade V). The individual needs were calculated. Participants were fed by gastrostomy with either enteral formulas (n = 17) or pureed food (n = 20). Measurements to assess nutritional status were made at the beginning and at the end of intervention.ResultsThe Z scores for weight-for-age and for the body-mass index increased more in enteral formula than in pureed food group (2.07 vs. 0.70, p = 0.0012; and 3.75 vs. 0.63, p = 0.0014, respectively). Fat mass index increased more in enteral formula than in pureed food group (1.12 kg/m2vs. 0.38 kg/m2; p = 0.0012). Patients in the enteral formula group showed increase in lean body mass expressed as fat-free mass index (0.70 kg/m2), while those in pureed food group did not (-0.06 kg/m2) (p = 0.0487).ConclusionsThe results suggest that even professionally planned pureed food diet is less effective than commercial enteral formula for nutritional rehabilitation of malnourished patients with severe neurologic impairment. However, larger and if possible randomised clinical studies should be made to confirm our findings.

Nutrition of patients with severe neurologic impairment

University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Medicine

University of Ljubljana, Biotechnical Faculty

Radiology and Oncology

This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License, which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

{"article-title":"Nutrition of patients with severe neurologic impairment"}

BackgroundCommercial enteral formulas are generally recommended for gastrostomy feeding in patients with severe neurologic impairment. However, pureed food...

Nutrition of patients with severe neurologic impairment

Article Category: Research Article

Published Online: Dec 07, 2017

Page range: 83 - 89

Received: Sep 08, 2017

Accepted: Oct 15, 2017

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/raon-2017-0060

© 2018 Anija Orel, Matjaz Homan, Rok Blagus, Evgen Benedik, Rok Orel, Natasa Fidler Mis

This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License, which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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