Knowledge about enteral nutrition compliant to the guidelines is essential to the education as an intensive care specialist. This calculator aims to spead this knowledge and help users to get familiar with correct dosing of the available products.

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Why accurate patient enteral nutrition calculation is important?

Patients who spend more than 48 hours in intensive care are considered to be at risk of malnutrition. Unless there are absolute contraindications or they are able to eat, these patients should receive nutritional therapy, preferably in the form of enteral nutrition. It is recommended to provide hypocaloric nutrition during the first week, which fulfills 70% of their caloric needs. After the initial week, full isocaloric nutrition can be administered. However, if indirect calorimetry is used to estimate energy expenditure, the early strategy changes. In such cases, isocaloric nutrition should be targeted from the third day of the patient's stay.

Numerous studies have documented the impact of adequate nutrition on patient outcomes. These studies indicate that both hypocaloric and hypercaloric nutrition have a negative effect on patients' well-being.