Risk factors for early enteral nutrition feeding intolerance in neurocritical patients: A prospective case-control study

Background: Determining the factors associated with ENFI in neurocritical patients could be important for better identification of the patients at risk of feeding intolerance.Therefore, this study aimed to identify the risk factors for ENFI in neurocritical patients. Methods: : Patients hospitalized in the neurological intensive care unit of the First Affiliated Hospital of University of Science and Technology of China between January 2021 and December 2021 were enrolled in this prospective case-control study. Result: Finally, 250 participants were enrolled. There were 183 patients in the early enteral nutrition feeding tolerance (ENFT) group and 67 patients in the ENFI group respectively. In the multivariable analysis, hypothermia treatment (OR = 2.331, 95% CI: 1.176-4.618, P = 0.015), severity of illness (OR = 2.176, 95% CI: 1.100-4.303, P = 0.025), the levels of sedation (OR = 2.478, 95% CI: 1.182-5.194, P = 0.016) and prealbumin (OR = 1.945, 95% CI: 1.073-3.525, P = 0.028) were independent risk factors of ENFI. Conclusion: Hypothermia treatment, severity of illness, levels of sedation and prealbumin were independent risk factors for ENFI. Chinese Clinical Trial Registry: ChiCTR2100044644