Malnutrition can result in life-long nutritional therapies in people with Anorexia Nervosa (AN). Natural feeding (NF) can be combined with particular nutritional techniques such as oral nutritional supplements (ONS) and nasogastric feeding throughout the refeeding process (NGF). For a study, researchers sought to evaluate hospital protocols’ performance and determine the most effective inpatient dietary regimens for weight restoration.
All patients hospitalized between April 2015 and April 2020 were included. According to hospital policy, NF was recommended to all patients; ONS was paired with NF if caloric intake reached <70% of needs, and NGF was added if caloric intake did not reach 30% within the first week of admission.
There were 186 patients in all [M=20; median age 14 (interquartile range 1,316)]. The major reason for admission was nutritional problems (56.6%). When ONS was combined with NGF in addition to NF, there was a significant impact of combination therapy, with a shorter period of hospitalization (ß: —20.28 [95% CI —34.92:—5.65], P<0.001). Only one patient’s liver enzymes increased significantly but only slightly.
In an inpatient environment, investigators provided a safe and effective standardized regimen for treating the malnutrition of teens with AN. The most common reason for admission was malnutrition, and more than half of the hospitalized patients were malnourished. The combination of NF, ONS, and NGF was the most successful method for weight restoration; however, this finding has to be verified in a broader series of patients treated with NGF and NF.
Reference:journals.lww.com/jpgn/Abstract/2022/05000/Five_Year_Inpatient_Management_of_Teenagers_With.25.aspx
