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Nutritional Supplements for Critically Ill Patients: Efficient Tools to Improve Wound Healing

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Diet and Nutrition in Critical Care

Abstract

Critically ill patients frequently suffer from acute wounds which result from trauma, burns, elective surgery due to cancer, and from pressure ulcer due to long-term immobilization. Several nutrients which play a physiologic role for wound healing (arginine, glutamine, several micronutrients, long-chain n-3 fatty acids, and nucleotides) are key nutrients of dietary supplements which should improve wound healing. An overview on commercially available supplements for oral and enteral application is given. However, their efficacy on wound healing remains unclear. Thus, this chapter should summarize the results of randomized controlled trials which investigated the effect of nutritional supplements on wound healing in critically ill patients. For the formulation of recommendations on the use of specific nutritional supplements to improve wound healing in critical care, guidelines of medical societies on the overall outcome of several supplements are also considered as well as protocols on clinical practice.

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Abbreviations

NO:

Nitric oxide

ONS:

Oral nutritional supplements

RCT:

Randomized controlled trials

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Food, Nutrition and Hospitality Sciences, Hochschule Niederrhein, University of Applied Sciences, Rheydter Str. 277, 41065, Mönchengladbach, Germany

    Sabine Ellinger

Authors
  1. Sabine Ellinger
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Correspondence to Sabine Ellinger .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Royal Free London Hospitals, Barnet General Hospital, London, UK

    Rajkumar Rajendram

  2. Division of Diabetes & Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine, King’s College London, London, UK

    Rajkumar Rajendram

  3. King Khalid University Hospital, King Saud University Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

    Rajkumar Rajendram

  4. Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Division of Diabetes & Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine, King’s College London, London, UK

    Victor R. Preedy

  5. Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Science & Technology, University of Westminster, London, UK

    Vinood B. Patel

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Ellinger, S. (2015). Nutritional Supplements for Critically Ill Patients: Efficient Tools to Improve Wound Healing. In: Rajendram, R., Preedy, V.R., Patel, V.B. (eds) Diet and Nutrition in Critical Care. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7836-2_49

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7836-2_49

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4614-7837-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-7836-2

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