The Clinical Practice Guidelines are a set of 209 randomized controlled trials in the area of critical care nutrition.  The studies have undergone a formal review process to provide the latest and best evidence for clinical practice in the various areas of critical care nutrition. All the guideline topics have undergone a formal review process and were last updated in January 2009 and May 2009 (as indicated in red). The 2009 update added 40 new randomized controlled trials to the evidence-based guidelines. 

List of All included randomized controlled trials (n= 209)

Published version of the Clinical Practice Guidelines

Protocol: Development of Clinical Guidelines for Nutrition Support in Adult Critically Ill Patients

Summary of Recommendations

Table of Contents

Note: Please click on the  icon to be directed to enabling tools that relate to specific guideline topics. The date of the current version of these guidelines is January 2009, unless otherwise noted.

1. The use of EN vs PN
2. Early vs Delayed Nutrient Intake
3. Nutritional prescription (dose) of EN
1. Use of indirect calorimetry vs. predictive equation
2. Achieving target dose of enteral nutrition
4. Composition of EN
1. Immune enhancing Diets
a. Arginine Containing
b. Fish oils
c. Glutamine
d. Ornithine Ketoglutarate (OKG)
2. Carbohydrate / Fat
a. High fat / low carbohydrate
b. Low fat / high carbohydrate
c. High Protein vs. Low Protein
3. Protein / peptides
4. pH
5. Fibre
5. Strategies to optimize delivery and minimize risks of EN
1. Use of feeding protocols
2. Motility agents
3. Small bowel vs. gastric feedings
4. Body position
6. EN: Other
1. Closed vs. Open system
2. Prebiotics/Probiotics/Synbiotics - (May 2009)
3. Continuous vs. other methods of administration
4. Gastrostomy vs nasogastric feeding
7. Enteral nutrition in combination with PN
8. Use of PN vs. standard care alone in patients with an intact GI tract
9. Composition of PN
1. Branched chain amino acids
2. Type of Lipids - (May 2009)
3. Zinc - (May 2009)
4. Glutamine
10. Strategies to optimize benefits and minimize risks of PN
1. Dose of PN
2. Use of lipids
3. Mode of lipid delivery
4. Intensive insulin therapy - (May 2009)
11. Supplemental Antioxidant Nutrients
1. Combined vitamins and trace elements
2. Parenteral Selenium