Source
Wallace OP, Jablonski SA, Thomas JS, Bock JH III, Langlois DK. Association of time to start of enteral nutrition and outcome in cats with hepatic lipidosis. J Vet Intern Med. 2024;38(6):3144-3152. doi:10.1111/jvim.17200
Research Note
Nutritional support is the mainstay of hepatic lipidosis treatment in cats and is generally provided via feeding tube. Recommendations regarding when and how to initiate enteral feeding vary.1-5 Early enteral feeding (ie, within 24-48 hours of hospitalization) can impact survival time in dogs with parvovirus and other conditions, but the impact of rapid early enteral feeding (ie, within <12 hours) has not been investigated.
This retrospective study of 48 cats with hepatic lipidosis investigated whether time of enteral nutrition initiation, type of feeding tube, and percentage of initial resting energy requirement fed were associated with patient outcome. Of all cats, 58% were initially fed via nasogastric tube, 29% were initially fed via esophagostomy tube, and 13% voluntarily resumed eating during hospitalization. Time from hospitalization to feeding was ≤12 hours in 52% of cats and >12 hours in 48% of cats; >80% were fed within 36 hours of hospitalization. Time to initiation of enteral nutrition, type of tube used, and percentage of resting energy requirement initially fed were not associated with survival.
You are reading Research Notes, a research summary resource proudly presented by Clinician’s Brief. Clinician’s Brief does not conduct primary research.