PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

D F Kirby

Publications and source records attributed to D F Kirby.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Decisions for enteral access in the intensive care unit.

When making decisions regarding nutrition support, many factors must be considered before committing a patient to receive parenteral or enteral nutrition. Parenteral nutrition (PN) is more expensive and technically more difficult to administer than enteral nutrition (EN). The charge for PN can range from US 200 dollars to 1000 dollars per day, where a standard hospital diet or enteral tube feedings might cost less than US 25 dollars/d. PN is also associated with a much higher incidence of biochemical complications such as hyperglycemia and other electrolyte abnormalities and catheter-related complications such as infection, thrombosis, or pneumothorax. For many years PN was preferred to EN because it was believed to be unwise to feed a critically ill patient into the gut. It has now been shown in multiple studies that it is not only feasible to feed critically ill patients early, but also it may be immunologically advantageous to feed enterally. The cost effectiveness of the nutrition support team approach to monitoring PN and EN should not be underestimated by hospital administrators. If enteral therapy can be instituted, significant patient-care cost savings may be realized. This presentation will discuss decisions that must be addressed in the intensive care unit. With more physician education, protocols can be designed to provide the most advantageous use of nutrition support for the benefit of the hospitalized patient.

Critical Care↗

Enteral nutrition access devices.

During the past decade a concerted effort has been made to use enteral nutrition instead of parenteral nutrition for hospitalized patients. Enteral nutrition has major advantages over parenteral nutrition in terms of cost and fewer serious complications. A clinician interested in initiating enteral nutrition may be limited by a lack of familiarity with the variety of options for enteral access and the difficulty of choosing among them. This paper reviews the different enteral access routes and devices available to the clinician.

Enteral Nutrition↗

Enteral feeding in critical care, gastrointestinal diseases, and cancer.

This article discusses the many advantages and changes that have occurred in the nutritional management of critically-ill patients, patients with gastrointestinal diseases, and patients with selected cancers. Mechanical obstruction is the only absolute contraindication to enteral nutrition. This article reviews the present aggressive approach to the use of enteral nutrition.

Contraindications↗

Endoscopic nasogastric-jejunal feeding tube placement in critically ill patients.

BACKGROUND: Historically, placement of small bowel nasoenteric feeding tubes in the critically ill patient has been difficult because of lack of bedside fluoroscopy, inadequately designed endoscopic tubes, or failure of the tube to spontaneously pass into the duodenum following placement. METHODS: We followed-up 54 consecutive critically ill patients who had a combined nasogastric-jejunal feeding tube placed at the bedside using a new endoscopic, nonfluoroscopic method of placement. Data were obtained on the placement procedure, outcomes, and complications that followed. RESULTS: Tubes were successfully placed in 94% of the patients in an average time of 12 minutes. Negative outcomes included the following: inadvertent removal by patient or staff (21%), intolerance to tube feeding (14%), clogging (9%), kinking (6%), and cracking at the tube adapter (11%). The duration of the tube following placement ranged from 1 to 42 days, with an average of 9 days. CONCLUSION: The combined tubes were easy to place endoscopically. The endoscopic, nonfluoroscopic method of placing feeding tubes can be performed at the bedside and allows for gastric decompression and enteral feeding to be rapidly and efficiently achieved, which is particularly useful for intubated patients in an intensive care setting. Negative outcomes should decrease by avoidance of inadvertent tube removal and by improved tube maintenance and materials.

Critical Illness↗

Nutrition support in pancreatitis.

Nutrition support in patients with pancreatitis has created a challenge for clinicians. Because the pancreas is normally stimulated by the ingestion of food, particularly fat, patients are often denied oral nutrition. This reduction in the ingestion of food, together with the increased metabolic demands of this disease, often results in a negative energy balance and occasionally undernutrition or malnutrition. This review summarizes the etiologies and methods for staging pancreatitis, the physiology of pancreatic exocrine secretion and the response of the pancreas to different methods of nutrition support. The results of clinical trials, which examine both parenteral and enteral nutrition in animals and humans with this disease, are reviewed. Recommendations for nutrition management of patients with acute and chronic pancreatitis and areas for future research are discussed.

Acute Disease↗

Antibiotic prophylaxis: the who, when, where, why, and with what!

In our daily routines in the endoscopy suite antibiotic prophylaxis is often discussed, debated and provided to our patients. Review of the literature provides little data on the safety and efficacy of antibiotic prophylaxis and on the patient population who should receive this form of therapy. The purpose of this review is to try to put into perspective the rationale and potential protocols for provision of antibiotic prophylaxis in our patients.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

A prospective assessment of the Garren-Edwards Gastric Bubble and bariatric surgery in the treatment of morbid obesity.

Morbid obesity is a serious medical hazard, and effective alternatives to surgery have been unsuccessful. In 1985, the Garren-Edwards Gastric Bubble (GEGB) was offered as an adjunct to dietary and behavioral therapy for weight loss treatment. The safety and efficacy of the GEGB were compared with bariatric surgery, the current standard for the treatment of morbid obesity. Fifty-seven patients received GEGB and 77 underwent bariatric surgery. GEGB patients were divided into two groups: those who attended group therapy and those who did not. This study showed that bariatric surgery was far more effective in reducing excess body weight during a 12-month period compared with the GEGB plus group therapy and the GEGB alone. The morbidity from bariatric surgery was greater than in the GEGB-treated groups, while the cost for uncomplicated cases for a year's treatment was comparable. It is concluded that the GEGB does not offer an effective alternative to bariatric surgery in the treatment of morbid obesity.

Adult↗

Management of esophageal varices: a review of treatment options and the role of the gastroenterology nurse and associate.

Esophageal variceal hemorrhage is an important complication of portal hypertension and represents a significant challenge to both the gastroenterologist and gastroenterology nurse and associate (GNA). No single modality has emerged as superior for all patients, and new medications and techniques have continued to be introduced. This article reviews the currently available modalities for treating esophageal variceal hemorrhage and discusses patient management issues and endoscopic techniques that GNAs are likely to be involved with.

Endoscopy↗

Comparison of rapid urease tests, staining techniques, and growth on different solid media for detection of Campylobacter pylori.

Thirty-nine single antral biopsies (phase 1) and 99 sets of six antral biopsies (phase 2) were collected from 132 patients, and 87 (63%) yielded positive cultures for Campylobacter pylori. Of several primary media tested in phase 1, tryptic soy agar and Skirrow agar, each supplemented with 10% whole sheep blood, supported relatively good growth of C. pylori. In phase 2, four of the six biopsies in each set were tested with different urease systems. Selective urea agar for rapid identification was the most sensitive (39 of 63 [62%] at 1 h) and specific (100%); however, the difference between this system and the CLOtest was not statistically significant. The remaining two biopsies, one transported in saline and the other transported in a supplemented tryptic soy broth, were ground separately and inoculated onto tryptic soy agar and Skirrow agar, each supplemented with 10% whole sheep blood. In selected instances, 10% horse serum or 10% horse serum and 5 mM urea or 1% cholesterol were also added to the media. Smears stained with a modified Gram stain or acridine orange detected 68% of 63 culture-positive biopsies; no false-positive results were reported. Skirrow agar supported better growth of C. pylori than did tryptic soy agar; the nonselective medium was also overgrown with contaminants in 25 to 30% of the positive cultures. Based on colony size, Skirrow agar supplemented with 10% whole sheep blood, 10% horse serum, and 1% cholesterol supported optimal growth of C. pylori. Fresh media supported better growth than did prepoured commercial media (P less than or equal to 0.004). Saline was a convenient and satisfactory transport medium for antral biopsies.

Acridine Orange↗