Research progress on indirect energy measurement in guiding energy and nutritional application in nutritional support therapy for critically ill patients.
10.3760/cma.j.cn121430-20250506-00431
- Author:
Yinqiang FAN
1
;
Jun YAN
1
;
Ning WEI
1
;
Jianping YANG
1
;
Hongmei PAN
1
;
Yiming SHAO
1
;
Jun SHI
1
;
Xiuming XI
2
Author Information
1. Department of Intensive Care Unit, the First Dongguan Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University, Dongguan 523000, China.
2. Department of Intensive Care Unit, Fu Xing Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100000, China. Corresponding author: Shao Yiming, Email: sym@gdmu.edu.cn.
- Publication Type:English Abstract
- MeSH:
Humans;
Critical Illness/therapy*;
Nutritional Support;
Energy Metabolism;
Calorimetry, Indirect
- From:
Chinese Critical Care Medicine
2025;37(8):794-796
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Nutritional support therapy is one of the extremely important treatment methods for patients in the intensive care unit. Timely and effective nutritional support regimens can improve patients' immune function, reduce complications, and optimize clinical outcomes. Energy expenditure is influenced by multiple factors, including patients' baseline characteristics (such as physical condition, gender, age) and dynamic changes in indicators (such as body temperature, nutritional support regimens, and therapeutic interventions). The currently recognized "gold standard" for accurately assessing energy metabolism in clinical practice is the indirect calorimetry system, also known as the metabolic cart. This device monitors carbon dioxide production and oxygen consumption in real time and uses specific algorithms to estimate the metabolic proportions of the three major nutrients (carbohydrates, fats, and proteins) in energy expenditure. An appropriate nutrient ratio helps maintain the balance between supply and demand in the body's nutritional metabolism. In the management of critically ill patients, the application of the metabolic cart enables personalized nutritional therapy, avoiding over- or under-supply of energy and optimizing the use of medical resources. Furthermore, with real-time, quantitative data support from the energy metabolism monitoring system, clinicians can develop more precise nutritional intervention strategies, thereby improving patient prognosis. This article provides a systematic review of the technical features of the metabolic cart and its application value in various critical care scenarios, aiming to offer a reference for indirect calorimetry in clinical practice.
