Assessment of Nutrient Absorption in Enterally Fed Post-intensive Care Unit Patients Using Bomb Calorimetry: do the Calories Stick

NCT06923813 | Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: STICKY
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 20
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 2

Brief Summary

This study focuses on understanding how well patients who have recovered from an ICU stay absorb nutrients when receiving enteral (tube) feeding. Proper nutrition is crucial for recovery, but we don't fully understand how efficiently enteral feeding works in ICU survivors. The study will use advanced techniques like bomb calorimetry to measure the energy content of stool, and indirect calorimetry to measure patients' resting energy expenditure (REE). This will help assess the effectiveness of enteral feeding in these patients, providing valuable information about their metabolic needs and nutritional status. The study will also look into the environmental impact of enteral feeding, particularly food waste. By understanding how much of the nutrition is absorbed versus excreted, the study hopes to suggest more sustainable feeding practices and reduce unnecessary waste in hospitals. Key Goals:

• Primary Goal: Measure how much energy from enteral feeding is absorbed by patients post-ICU by analyzing their stool and energy expenditure.
• Secondary Goal: Assess how enteral feeding can be made more sustainable, with less waste generated from unused nutritional products. This research will help improve nutritional care for ICU patients, enhance recovery, and potentially lead to more environmentally friendly healthcare practices.

Conditions

Post-ICU Patients Fully Enterally Fed

Keywords

PEG tube; indirect calorimetry; nasogastric

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• caloric absorption efficiency

  the caloric intake from enteral feeding will be compared with the caloric content of the excreted stool. The difference between these two values will provide an estimate of how efficiently the body absorbs the administered nutrients.

  From screening to study completion for the patient, on average 3 days

• Resting Energy Expenditure (REE)

  The study will measure the resting energy expenditure of post-ICU patients using indirect calorimetry, which provides a real-time measure of the patients' basal metabolic rate and energy needs.

  From screening to study completion for the patient, on average 3 days

Secondary Outcomes (3)

• Nutrient Absorption Efficiency

  From screening to study completion for the patient, on average 3 days

• Waste Generation from Enteral Feeding Solutions and Tubing

  From screening to study completion for the patient, on average 3 days

• Overall Food Waste in Hospitals

  From screening to study completion for the patient, on average 3 days

Study Arms (1)

Participants

EXPERIMENTAL

20 post-ICU patients who are fully enterally fed (PEG- or nasogastric tube). Step-by-Step Process: Every time a patient is included, all steps (caloric intake measurement, stool sample collection, blending, freezing, and freeze drying) will be performed sequentially. Bomb Calorimetry can be conducted either systematicallyfor a few patients at a time or all at once after all samples have been collected.

Other: caloric intake measurement; Procedure: stool sample collection; Other: energy expenditure measurement

Interventions

stool sample collection PROCEDURE

* a nonabsorbable blue dye marker will be administered at the start and end of the stool collection period to precisely indentify the stool produced within a specific time frame. * stool will be collected for three days. Each sample will be collected, weighted and labeled with the date and time, then stored at -20°C. * only stool samples from the appearance of the first dye marker to the appearance of the second dye marker will be saved and analyzed. * bomb calorimetry preparation * blending and dilution: each stool sample will be put into a blender and mixed with an equal amount of water * freeze dying: the diluted stool will be placed into freeze-dye flasks and frozen at -20°C. The next day, the flasks will be placed into a freeze dryer for 48hours. * pellet formation: the freeze-dried samples will be formed into 1-gram pellets and stored until calorimetry * calorimetry analysis: the Parr 6200 isoperibol calorimeter will be used to measure the energy content of the stool pellets

Participants

energy expenditure measurement OTHER

performing indirect calorimetry to measure the REE of each patient

Participants

caloric intake measurement OTHER

Detailed daily tracking of the enteral feeding provided to each patient, inclusing the type and amount of nutritional formula administered. Apart from the enteral intake, supplemental calories provided by infusion (e.g. glucose) will be recorded to ensure accurate measurement of caloric intake.

Participants

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• age of 18 years or older
• minimum ICU stay of 7 days
• fully dependent on enteral feeding (nasogastric or PEG-tube)
• ability of the patient or representative to understand and sign written informed consent in Dutch, French or English

You may not qualify if:

• known inflammatory bowel disease
• known malabsorptive gastrointestinal disease
• history of small bowel resection
• concomitant use of serotoninergic or sympathomimetic medications (oa. setrone, tryptans, antidepressants, methylphenidate, monoamine oxidase inhibitors, tramadol)

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel: lead
• Société des Produits Nestlé (SPN): collaborator

Study Sites (2)

UZ Brussel

Brussels, Belgium

NOT YET RECRUITING

UZ Brussel

Jette, 1090, Belgium

RECRUITING

MeSH Terms

Interventions

Energy Metabolism

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Metabolism

Central Study Contacts

Elisabeth De Waele

CONTACT

02476 3354; Elisabeth.DeWaele@uzbrussel.be

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NA
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: SUPPORTIVE CARE
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Model Details: 20 post-ICU patients who are fully enterally fed (PEG- or nasogastric tube)

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: March 28, 2025
• First Posted: April 11, 2025
• Study Start: January 8, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): April 1, 2028
• Study Completion (Estimated): April 1, 2028
• Last Updated: May 1, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-04

Locations

BE (2)