Gastrointestinal tolerance of an upgraded peptide feed in ICU patients
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Gastrointestinal tolerance in ICU patients after administration of an Energy and Protein enriched Peptide formula as compared to an isocaloric standard tube feed
IRAS ID
205929
Contact name
G. Hofman
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Nutricia Research
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 1 months, 31 days
Research summary
Title: Is gastrointestinal tolerance of ICU patients administrated a high protein peptide feed comparable to a standard tube feed?
Most ICU patients are sedated and their nutrition is through tube feeding. Sedation, immobility and medication can lead to poor gastrointestinal (GI) tolerance. GI symptoms like poor feed absorption and diarrhoea are often reported complaints of tube feeding. Diarrhoea can occur in up to 95% of ICU patients (2-68% in ward patients) leading to an increased risk of skin breakdown, malnutrition and a longer length of stay.
Tube feeds normally used at the ICU are with full nutrient molecules (non-digested polymeric feeds). Semi-digested tube feeds (peptide feeds) are available in the industry and used in ICU patients. In Canada, peptide feeds are the first line feed for ICU patients. It is a recommendation of European, American and Canadian associations that peptide feeds should be used to treat persistent diarrhoea in ICU patients. Despite being routinely used, there is little research demonstrating its impact on GI tolerance. In this Trust, we use peptide feeds frequently, although with lower protein content.
Nutricia Research has a peptide feed on the market for more than 15 years without any reported safety concerns. The company has increased the protein content to meet nutritional recommendations for ICU patients. We propose to conduct a randomised trial in 30 ICU patients to assess GI tolerance of this upgraded peptide feed compared to a standard polymeric feed. Patients will receive the peptide or standard polymeric feed for up to 2 weeks. The study duration will be 30 days including a follow-up phase.
REC name
London - Bromley Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/LO/1486
Date of REC Opinion
6 Sep 2016
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion