Is There a Relationship Between Mortality Rates and Nutritional Factors in Critical Ill Patients with COVID-19?

Abstract

Objective:Our aim in this study was to examine whether critically ill patients with coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) achieved the targeted calories (ATC) while being treated in the intensive care unit (ICU) and their relationship with the modified nitric score (mNUTRIC) and mortality.Materials and Methods:The patients were categorized into two cohorts based on the attainment of the intended caloric intake during their stay in the ICU: the ATC group and the not achieved target calorie (NATC) group. A comparative analysis was conducted on the mNUTRIC scores, as well as the ICU and hospital mortality rates, between these two groups.Results:The number of patients in the ATC group was 59 (63.4%) and the number of patients in the group that could NATC was 34 (36.6%). mNUTRIC scores on admission were 3 (2-4) in the ATC group and 5 (4-6) in the NATC group. In multivariate regression analysis, a mNUTRIC score of 5 and higher (p<0.01), hemodynamic instability (p=0.02) and male gender (p=0.04) were found to be significant as independent risk factors for NATC. ICU and hospital mortality was higher in the NATC group than in the ACT group (p<0.01, p<0.03 respectively).Conclusion:Inability to reach the targeted calories and high mNUTRIC score might relate to mortality in critically ill COVID-19 patients treated in the ICU.

Keywords

• nutrition
• targeted calory
• intensive care
• modified nutric score
• mortality