Nutritional support in neurosurgical ICU patients

Abstract

When considering nutritional therapy for the neurological/neurosurgical patient, the groups of patients to be included must be well defined. The neurological disorders can be seen into five main categories according to its cause; traumatic brain injuries, cerebrovascular accidents (haemorrhages, ruptured aneurisms/arteriovenous malformations), space occupying lesions, infection and chronic degenerative processes. These patients can also be classified regarding their acute and chronic illness of the neurological pathology. The causes of malnutrition often are multifactorial and can be divided into four phases, their antecedent nutritional status (elderly patients), the stress of acute illness, the surgical interventions/early post-operative period and long term care related to the degree of the neurological deficit.