Best practice made easy: early enteral nutrition in the ICU and beyond

Practical nutrition across the critical care journey

In this video, Prof. Arthur van Zanten shares practical guidance on how to start and progress enteral nutrition in critically ill patients, during the ICU and beyond. Using the case of a surgical patient with septic shock, he explains why “if you don’t use the gut, you will lose the gut” and how early feeding has been linked to better gut function and a shorter hospital stay.

What you will learn

By watching this video, healthcare professionals will learn the five essential steps of critical care nutrition:

• Start early: begin enteral nutrition once circulation is stable, ideally within 24 to 48 hours
• Start low, progress slowly: build up energy and protein in small steps over the first week, and account for non-nutritional calories to avoid overfeeding
• Manage feeding intolerance: do not stop enteral nutrition for a high gastric residual volume alone; consider prokinetics or post-pyloric tubes first
• Continue tube feeding after the ICU: only taper when oral intake is proven to be enough
• Support recovery after discharge: oral nutritional supplements, combined with exercise, may be needed for 3 to 12 months

Watch the full video

Watch the full video to follow Prof. van Zanten’s practical, step-by-step approach to feeding critically ill patients, from the first hours in the ICU to recovery at home. There is much more to discover in this resource, including feeding protocols, checklists and practical examples.