The Importance of Nutrition Management in Respiratory Diseases and Mechanically Ventilated Patients 

The importance of Nutrition Management in Respiratory Diseases and Mechanically Ventilated Patients. Appropriate nutrition is important in realization of an improved outcome while one is being subjected to medication. Whenever patients get admission into hospitals, they often face the risk of malnutrition. Patients who fail to meet there nutritional needs and those with malnutrition often face a myriad of challenges namely; decrease in the quality of life, increase in there morbidity and mortality and high duration of mechanical ventilation.

Additionally, they often stay longer than normal in the hospital facilities. All these problems result into increase in the cost incurred while giving treatment to a patient. Patients suffering from illnesses relating to respiratory failure are in need of special attention in order to overcome challenges such as muscle wasting. The care is also essential in averting cases of overfeeding and such complications relating to nutritional care.

When a patient is subjected to inadequate nutrient supply to the body, they suffer the blow of suppressed functions of the body immune system. This in itself forms the basis for progress of certain diseases. Patients who are obese experience fluid overload, deposit of fats on the liver and additionally failure of liver. This state demands for increased time on ventilator support more than the anticipated time. People who suffer from obesity have increased susceptibility to inflammation related infections and higher risk of mortality. Obesity is associated with higher risk of developing asthma. This is common to both the children and adults in equal chances.

There is a type of obesity referred to as sarcopenic obesity. This type of obesity results in reduction in the mass and strength of muscles in patients who are elderly. This may result into reduction of physical activity and thereby enhancing acquiring of more weight. In the circumstances where a patient acquire more weight loading on the wall of their chest, there is additional work in breathing, reduction in lung volume and decreased functional residual capacity.

This state can result into various health conditions namely; hypoxemia, hypercapnia and atelectasis. Malnutrition has various effects on the respiratory system. The effects include; congestive heart failure, inability to cough well, higher production of carbon (IV) oxide and reduced lung clearance mechanism. Additionally, it results into higher rate of bacterial colonization.

Effective nutritional management is achievable when using an all-inclusive and well-designed nutritional care that is adduced from the tried and tested evidence. The undertaking should encompass teams drawn from various disciplines and the standards set by the organizations concerned with giving care including its policies and procedures.

The framework should entail its implementation, routine assessments at various stages and general monitoring of the whole plan of nutrition (Mark & Jami, 2013). Mechanical ventilation in critically ill patients leads to cases of underfeeding and possible malnutrition since majority of patients in this condition often get insufficient energy and protein. Since this condition prohibits the normal consumption of food through the oral route, parenteral nutrition comes in handy to eliminate possible cases of undernourishment.

Provision of proper nutritional care assist in minimizing complications, increasing the rate of recovery and general reduction in the cost incurred in the duration of treatment at a particular health facility. Provision of adequate nutrition in good time to a patient result in quick healing of tissues and boosted immune system that helps in fighting emerging infections. Through making use of Enteral Nutrition procedure, mechanically ventilated patients achieve proper nutrition. This allow a number of patients to achieve the recommended feeding goals.

In incidences where there is no Enteral Nutrition program, challenges of identifying the appropriate time to begin the feeding, the frequency and inability to come up with a standard diet often leads to unstable nutritional support to patients thereby affecting the effectiveness of the overall treatment. This practice also leads to impaired immune response, higher vulnerability to acquiring infections, inability of wounds to heal quickly and impairment of neuro-muscles (Ellis, October, 2015). There are nutritional factors attributed to causing certain respiratory illnesses.

For instance allergy to certain foods is responsible to given respiratory symptoms. Inadequate supply of certain diet components or their supply in excess for example salt and fatty acids have been identified to play a role in the cause of asthma and disorders responsible for wheezing. Even though the crucial role played by food allergy in cause of asthma is not easy to quantify owing to deficiencies in the study, about 20% of people suffering from asthma perceive themselves to have certain reaction to food substances.

An in-depth study indicate that food allergies cause respiratory symptoms. It is therefore important to control the diet of individuals identified to suffer serious asthmatic conditions resulting from food substances taken into the body. Another common food substance with adverse effect on the respiratory system that calls for nutrition management is cow’s milk. Various people have different allergies to various animal products.

There is a large number of people with allergy to cow’s milk. Allergy to cow’s milk is considered to play a role in Heiner’s syndrome. This is a respiratory condition which commonly affects children suffering from anemia and chronic lung cancer. In such instances, it is important that one takes precautions by managing the affected individual diet in order to stay free from the illness. Food intolerance equally affects respiratory system. This process results when inflammatory mediators by various food components are released and they work separately from the body’s immune system.

A good example of the process is demonstrated by aspirin’s sensitivity to asthma. Aspirin’s sensitivity is considered to be related to serious reactions to hydrocortisone administered through the veins and paracetamol. Antioxidants are crucial part of human diet, however their intake is key to determining as to whether they will be useful to the body or will cause some effects amounting to health deterioration. According to epidemiological studies, intake of antioxidants vitamins at low levels, results in minimized lung function and persistent respiratory symptoms.

Additionally, the intake of fats must be regulated in order for a patient to achieve quick recovery of stable health. High fat intake is linked to bronchial hyper responsiveness as well as asthma. The type and nature of the particular fats taken into the body is considered vital in the development of wheezing as well as a Topy (Schmidt, 2011).

Giving nutritional support to patients who are critically ill has been dubbed as ‘sine qua non’. This has resulted from the increased understanding of the pathophysiology of protein energy malnutrition in the critically ill patients placed at the Intensive Care Unit. It has also been facilitated by high understanding of the procedures in giving out nutritional therapy.

According to the latest developments, it is recommended that one begins to be fed while admitted at the Intensive Care Unit within 24 hours through Enteral Nutrition. There is however no universal agreements on amount of nutritional support, particular components of the nutrition and the possible supplements that can facilitate the alleviation of the health status of the patient. It is recommended that nutrition procedure which entails the use of prokinetics, introduces the feeds systematically in volumes and is able to sustain a high volume of gastric should be prioritized.

This will allow for the achievement of good results with the use of enteral nutrition in patients who are adults. The patients who exhibit intolerance on certain food substances, should be given prokinetics for example metoclopramide. This is essential in enhancing gastric emptying and additionally facilitating gut motility (Clin, 2012).