Critical Care Nutrition Therapy for Non-nutritionists

This book offers a pragmatic approach to day-to-day metabolic and nutritional care based on physiological considerations. Due to the numerous controversial trials published in the last 15 years, there is no clear guidance for intensive care physicians regarding the metabolic and nutritional management of patients. This has resulted in a return to underfeeding and related complications in most ICUs worldwide as shown by the latest Nutrition Day data. Using a structured, logical approach, the book examines practical solutions for artificial feeding in complex areas of critical care (brain injuries, burns, cardiac failure, ECMO, intestinal failure, long term patient, renal failure, metabolic diseases, obesity, old patients) and discusses measurement of the results of metabolic interventions. It also includes dedicated chapters focusing on specific problems, in order to avoid complications. Critical Care Nutrition Therapy for Non-nutritionists is a valuable resource for all general ICUs and ICU subspecialties such as cardiovascular, neuro, gastrointestinal and burns ICUs.

“This is a multiauthored handbook for bedside providers seeking to optimize nutrition support for patients in the intensive care unit. … This is an excellent combination of pertinent physiology and "how-to" advice for bedside care. As the literature describing metabolic response to critical illness continues to evolve, use of the most current references by these authors is both essential and commendable.” (David J. Dries, Doody's Book Reviews, May, 2018)

Mette M. Berger is a Consultant Intensivist, Adult Intensive Care Service & Burns at Centre University Hospital of Lausanne (CHUV). She is head of the ICU’s clinical nutrition program, and the hospital’s burns center. Prof. Berger was also responsible for the creation of the Clinical Nutrition Unit in a large non university hospital in Sion (Hôpital du Valais) in 2014. Her research interests include clinical nutrition and micronutrient requirements in the critically ill, with a special focus on major burns. Prof. Berger’s clinical and research contributions include the concept of assessing needs and preventing excessive energy debt in acute conditions, promoting the monitoring of nutritional therapy and the use of combined enteral and parenteral feeding. To date, she has authored over 200 publications and more than 30 book chapters. She is also an internationally renowned speaker on the topics of micronutrition, clinical nutrition and burn care. Prof. Berger is an active Member of the European Society for Clinical Nutrition & Metabolism (ESPEN) working in the Intensive Care Unit (ESPEN-ICU) guidelines group and LLL teaching sessions, and a Member of the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM MEN section). She is associate editor for Clinical Nutrition.