Aim: to investigate the tolerance for early enteral feeding of severe burn patients during 72h postburns at the National Institute of Burns. Method: 41 adullt burn patient admitted to the National Institute of Burn during 72h postburn with a mean of burn area was 49.87% and 15.47% of full thickness area. Naso-gastric tube was inserted as soon as admission, enteral feeding was begun by nutrition pump with Vivonex and then Ensure. Energy requirement was calculated by using curerel formular. Tolerance was canculated as actual volume compared to theory demand. Volume of gastric residual was measured at 2.6 and 24 hour of enteral nutrition. Result: the tolerance was 95.58% success with rare complication including tension apart from diarrhea rate of 19.51%, no case of aspiration was recorded. The tolerance was more successful and less complication was seen in patients fed during the first 6h postburn (p< 0.05). There was no significant relation between diarrhea rate and burn severity as well as plasma albumin level post burn. Conclusion: early enteral feeding is well tolerated with little complication. This method is safe, easy to set up and should be wildly applied for burn patients.
Burns ; Nutritional Status