Current nutritional therapy in Japanese intensive care units: what did we learn from the International Nutritional Survey?

Abstract

Purpose: Dr. Daren K. Heyland, Queens University, Canada, has been leading the International Nutrition Survey (INS), international cross-sectional survey regarding nutritional therapy in ICU since 2007. The present subgroup analysis of data from 9 Japanese ICUs participating INS 2011 database aimed to evaluate our current nutritional therapy. Methods: Adult patients receiving mechanical ventilation were included. Main outcome variables were nutritional dose, contents, and timing of initiation. Japanese data were then compared with those from Asia and the other sites. Results: In Japanese ICUs, mean values of administered energy/target energy ratio, administered protein/target protein ratio, and percentage of patients receiving nutritional therapy were well below those in Asian and other sites ICUs. In Japan, the initiation timing of enteral nutrition was delayed compared with other countries. Discussion: From this subgroup analysis of large international survey, nutritional therapy in Japanese ICUs has a room for the improvement. This analysis could be a good opportunity to improve nutritional therapy in each participating ICU. More ICUs will be invited for the INS 2013 to improve nutrition therapy in Japan.