Pneumonia Infection Incidence with Enteral Feeding in Intensive Care Patients

Background: Enteral nutrition (EN) is the administration of a nutritionally complete feed through a tube into the stomach, duodenum, or jejunum. It has been proposed that EN helps to maintain the health and integrity of the gut barrier and is connected to increased levels of immunoglobulin synthesis, which may help to boost defenses against respiratory infections. However, critically ill patients may have a poor tolerance for enteral feeding and may develop unpleasant gastrointestinal effects such as nausea and vomiting. Aim: To investigate at the incidence between enteral nutrition and the risk of pneumonia in intensive care unit patients. Methods: This is an updated review of research that were published between 2016 and 2018. To research our topic, we employed the Google Scholar, Web of Science, and PubMed databases. The keywords used in various combinations included "enteral nutrition, feeding, incidence, aspiration, pneumonia, adults, ICU." In addition, original research on the relationship between entreat feeding and the risk of pneumonia in critically ill individuals was reviewed. The inclusion criterion was full-text publications. Results: Despite obtaining 17 papers, only three research met the inclusion requirements. All of the research were conducted in the past. The study included 413 adult patients in the intensive care unit. Conclusion: In critically ill people, enteral feeding was related with a lower risk of aspiration pneumonia and overall infections. Enteral feeding was found to be safe and effective for critically ill patients, with no major problems.