Impact of early high caloric duodenal feeding on the oxygen balance of the splanchnic region after severe burn injury

Early enteral nutrition is recommended in burned patients. Depending on the amount administered, enteral feeding causes an increase of intestinal oxygen-demand. Although early moderate enteral nutrition has been shown to be beneficial, early high calorie enteral nutrition might lead to an imbalance of the O(2)-balance of the gut since intestinal perfusion is decreased after major burns. In 20 severely burned patients during the first 48 h of early high caloric duodenal feeding an assessment of the CO(2)-gap between the arterial and the gastric CO(2), as parameter for the intestinal O(2)-balance, was performed. Time points were prior to starting the enteral nutrition (BASE) subsequently every 30 min after increasing the amount of nutrition administered and from the 11th to the 48th h after beginning of nutrition in intervals of 6 h. In none of the patients was the CO(2)-gap increased during the rapid increase of enteral nutrition. On the contrary the CO(2)-gap decreased significantly. We conclude that high caloric duodenal feeding in the early hypodynamic postburn phase does not have adverse effects on the oxygen balance of the intestine.