Enteral feeding practices for U.S. service members in a deployed combat support hospital

• Published in: Military medicine Vol. 174; no. 7; pp. 685 - 688
• Main Authors: Stankorb, Susan M, Salgueiro, Marybeth, Grediagin, Ann
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Oxford University Press 01.07.2009
• Subjects: Armed forces; Candidates; Casualties; Continuity of Patient Care; Data collection; Dietitians; Enteral Nutrition; Feeding Behavior; Hospitals; Hospitals, Military; Humans; Injuries; Length of Stay; Military Medicine; Military Personnel; Nutrition; Parenteral nutrition; Patients; Proteins; Staphylococcus infections; Trauma; United States; Warfare; Wounds and Injuries - diet therapy; Wounds and Injuries - rehabilitation; United States > US; Iraq
• ISSN: 0026-4075; 1930-613X
• DOI: 10.7205/MILMED-D-01-8908

Evidenced based practice guidelines for nutrition support recommend implementation of early enteral nutrition (EEN) in certain patient populations, including trauma and critical illness. Early enteral nutrition has been associated with immune benefits, improved healing, reduced length of stay, and a trend towards a reduction in mortality. Rapid evacuation of combat casualties across the continuum of care presents challenges to implementing EEN during wartime operations. This is the first study to examine enteral feeding practices for combat casualties during Operation Iraqi Freedom. The study method was a prospective records review of all U.S. military combat casualties evacuated from a Combat Support Hospital (CSH) in Iraq, from 1 November to 31 December 2006. The results of this study suggest that casualties who meet the criteria for EEN are not receiving it at the CSH in theater. Further research is needed to explore the impact of delayed enteral nutrition in the combat casualty.