Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of study patients (N = 100)
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Age, mean (SD) | 66.7 (14.4) |
| Male gender, N (%) | 63 (63.0) |
| APACHE II score, mean (SD) | 21.8 (6.8) |
| Intubated (endotracheal) patients at time of study inclusion, N (%) | 95 (95.0) |
| ICU length of stay, median (IQR) (days) | 17.1 (8.0–22.0) |
| Diagnosis, N | |
| Cardiovascular surgery | 57 |
| Surgical | 6 |
| Neurosurgical | 2 |
| Medical | 35 |
| Total episodes of EN interruption, N | 567 |
| Episodes in endotracheally intubated patients, N (%) | 515 (90.8) |
| Number of EN interruptions per patient, median (IQR) | 3.0 (1.0–5.3) |
| Caloric deficit of daily caloric goal due to EN interruptions, % | 11.5 |
| EN interruption orders documented, % | 12.0 |
| EN resumption orders documented, % | 8.0 |
| Number of patients with a feeding tube placed post-pyloric region | 11 |
| Number of patients given prokinetic agents | 34 |
APACHE II Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II, SD standard deviation, IQR interquartile range, EN Enteral nutrition, ICU Intensive Care Unit