Information for healthcare professionals
This section contains information for health professionals on nutrition management of critically ill patients. COVID-19 is caused by a new coronavirus and evidence on the specific nutrition requirements in critically ill patients with COVID-19 is emerging and could change. The information provided here is general in nature and is not intended to be a substitute for assessment of a specific patient’s requirements. All clinical decisions need to be made by the healthcare professional, taking the medical information of the patient into consideration.
This information, including links to external websites, is made available subject to the Terms of Use on this website and we encourage you to review our Terms of Use and the legal notices on external websites.
Enteral nutrition support for patients on mechanical ventilation
Practical tips and guidance from the literature
For some patients with COVID-19, severe acute respiratory illness including pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), will lead to the need for mechanical ventilation in an intensive care unit (ICU), placing them at high nutrition risk.1
Australasian Society of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (AuSPEN)
Nutritional management of COVID-19 patients
The American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (ASPEN)
Resources for clinicians caring for patients with COVID-19
The European Society of Parental and Enteral Nutrition (ESPEN)
ESPEN expert statements and practical guidance for nutritional management of individuals with SARS-CoV-2 infection
Nutritional management of patients with SARS-CoV-2
Presented on 30th April 2020 by Professor Pierre Singer
Professor Pierre Singer has more than 30 years of clinical and academic experience. He is the director of the General Intensive Care Department and the Institute for Nutrition Research at the Rabin Medical Center, Beilinson Hospital and is Full Professor of Anesthesia and Intensive Care at the Tel Aviv University. Professor Singer has served as chairman of ESPEN (the European Society of Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism) from 2004 to 2008 and is a co-author of the recent ESPEN statements for Nutrition Care of the COVID-19 patient.
Enteral Nutrition in the ICU: COVID-19 Challenge
Presented on 3rd April 2020 by Robert Martindale, MD, PhD and Jayshil Patel, MD
Robert Martindale, MD, PhD and Jayshil Patel, MD, outline proposed nutritional management recommendations for the patient with SARS-CoV-2.
Nutrition in the post ICU period
Speaker: Dr Emma Ridley
Presented on 31st May 2020
Dr Emma Ridley from Alfred Health discusses the importance of nutritional management, post-ICU.
Personalized nutrition for the critically ill patients- are we ready?
Speakers: Pierre Singer, Israel, and Mette Berger, Switzerland
Presented on 20th May 2020
This webinar covers all aspects of nutrition management of COVID-19 patients, including the detection of high-risk patients, personalised nutrition and how to adapt nutrition therapy.
Coping with COVID-19: Self-care for clinical dietitians
Speaker: Glenn Mackintosh, Australia
Presented on 14th May 2020
Health psychologist shares practical evidence-based strategies to help clinical dietitians manage stress, maintain optimism, and cultivate self-compassion during this difficult and uncertain time.
Nutritional management for patients recovering in the community from COVID-19
Speakers: Mary Hickson and Alison Smith, United Kingdom
Presented on 27th April 2020
A webinar from the United Kingdom on the importance of community care post-hospital discharge.
Treatment of COVID-19
Speaker: Susie Ferrie, Australia
Presented on 9th April 2020
A fascinating presentation on the management of patients with COVID-19 at RPAH Sydney (available for purchase through Education in Nutrition).
Enhancing the Nutrition Care of Survivors of Critical Illness: Why it Matters and How We Can Improve
Speaker: Dr Lesley Moisey, Canada
Presented on 10th July 2018
This webinar focuses on the importance of nutritional care in survivors post-critical illness.
The Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Society (ANZICS)
COVID-19 guidelines and resource centre
European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM)
COVID-19 news feed
European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM) and Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM)
Surviving Sepsis Campaign: Guidelines on the Management of Critically Ill Adults with Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)
National COVID-19 Clinical Evidence Taskforce Australia
National clinical guidelines and resource centre
Cochrane Library
Coronavirus (COVID-19): evidence relevant to critical care
Lambell et al, 2020.
Nutrition therapy in critical illness: a review of the literature for clinicians
Open Access: [Click Here]
Ridley et al, 2020.
Nutrition intake in the post ICU hospitalisation period
Access required: [Click Here]
Giacomelli et al, 2020
Self-reported olfactory and taste disorders in SARS-CoV-2: a cross sectional study
Open Access: [Click Here]
Caccialanza R et al, 2020
Early nutritional supplementation in non-critically ill patients hospitalized for the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Rationale and feasibility of a shared pragmatic protocol
Open Access: [Click Here]
Murthy et al, 2020
Care for Critically Ill Patients With COVID-19
Open Access: [Click Here]
Poston et al, 2020
Management of Critically Ill Adults With COVID-19
Open Access: [Click Here]
Van Zanten et al, 2019
Nutrition therapy and critical illness: practical guidance for the ICU, post-ICU, and long-term convalescence phases
Open Access: [Click Here]
Fetterplace et al, 2018
Targeted Full Energy and Protein Delivery in Critically Ill Patients: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial (FEED Trial)
Access required: [Click Here]
Ridley et al, 2018
What Happens to Nutrition Intake in the Post–Intensive Care Unit Hospitalization Period? An Observational Cohort Study in Critically Ill Adults
Open Access: [Click Here]
References
1. Kondrup J, et al. Clin Nutr 2003;22:415-421.