Review of enteral nutrition practices in critically ill adults in resource-limited environments

Abstract

Enteral nutrition in critical care is a complex area of practice. A resource-limited environment includes countries that are identified as low income and low/middle income. This review describes three themes for its successful implementation of enteral nutrition in a resource-limited environment. These include identification of patients at risk of malnutrition, using non-commercial feeds and the urgent need to develop practice. Malnutrition is a serious complication of critical illness and remains a crucial aspect of patient care in order to prevent complications. Further evidence to develop sustainable enteral nutrition strategies for critically ill patients is urgently required. This is a paper commissioned as part of the Humanitarian and Disaster Relief Operations special issue of BMJ Military Health.