A comparison of nutrition-related complications of patient groups receiving enteral and parenteral nutrition support in A COVİD intensive care unit

Objective: In this study, it was aimed to compare complications during nutritional support, mortality and morbidity, length of stay in the intensive care unit and mechanical ventilator, rate of infection development in terms of enteral and parenteral nutrition in patients hospitalized in the intensive care unit (ICU) due to coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19). Method: The study was conducted by retrospectively examining a total of 102 patients, 75 of whom received enteral nutritional (EN) support and 27 of whom received parenteral nutritional (PN) support, who were hospitalized in the COVID Intensive Care Unit of Afyonkarahisar Health Sciences University Hospital. In the study, demographic characteristics of the patients and laboratory values on the 5th or 7th day after hospitalization, nutritional status, length of stay in the intensive care unit, mortality status, 5th or 7th days acute physiological and chronic health evaluation (APACHE) and sequential organ failure evaluation (SOFA) score, Pao2 /Fio2 ratio, nutritional complications, intubation status, number of intubation days, blood transfusion needs, and dialysis needs were recorded. Patients younger than 18 years of age, receiving both EN and PN support, receiving oral regimen, diabetes and chronic renal failure, hospitalization duration shorter than 3 days, negative COVID PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) and atypical tomography were excluded from the study. Results: It was determined that the length of stay in the intensive care unit and the number of intubation days in the patients who received EN support in the intensive care unit due to COVID-19 were significantly higher than the patients who received PN support. It was determined that there was a significant difference between the patients supported with EN and PN in terms of constipation, pneumothorax and deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Conclusion: More data is needed on complications that may occur during EN and PN support given to patients hospitalized in the intensive care unit due to COVID-19, which has spread all over the world and in our country, to ensure a higher survival rate in these patients. Keywords: COVID-19, intensive care unit, enteral nutrition, parenteral nutrition.