Early Enteral Nutrition in Critically III Patients With a High‐Protein Diet Enriched with Arginine, Fiber, and Antioxidants Compared With a Standard High‐Protein Diet. The Effect on Nosocomial Infections and Outcome

BACKGROUND: This study was designed to evaluate the effects of a high-protein formula enriched with arginine, fiber, and antioxidants compared with a standard high-protein formula in early enteral nutrition in critically ill patients. METHODS: For this study, 220 patients were enrolled in a prospective, multicenter, single-blind, randomized trial in 15 Spanish intensive care units (ICUs). The primary end-points were the incidence density rates of nosocomial infections, ICU and hospital length of stay, ICU and in-hospital mortality, and mortality at 6-month follow-up. RESULTS: The patients in the control and study groups had similar baseline characteristics. The study group had a lower incidence of catheter-related sepsis (0.4 episodes/1000 ICU days) than the control group (5.5 episodes/1000 ICU days), with a relative risk (RR) of 0.07 (95% confidence interval CI 0.01 to 0.54, p 2 days showed a trend toward decreased mortality.