Once the patients are in the intensive care unit (ICU), they are generally unable to ensure the adequacy of their own nutritional intake. A patient in ICU, who cannot take food orally, requires either enteral or parenteral nutritional support. Enteral nutrition is generally preferred over parenteral nutrition because the former is associated with reduced cost, decreased length of hospital stay, lower incidence of infectious and non-infectious complications. Present study was conducted to assess and compare the enteral feeding associated problems among patients in experimental (continuous naso gastric feeding) and control group (existing enteral feeding practices i.e. bolus naso gastric feeding). A total of 60 patients of intensive care units of Dayanand Medical College and Hospital, Ludhiana, Punjab were selected by the consecutive sampling technique and were then randomized into two groups i.e. experimental and control group by block randomization. Data was collected by interviewing of patient’s relative and the complications of the enteral feeding were recorded in the observational checklist. Results revealed that the high gastric residual volume on day 1 was present only in control group i.e. 9 (30%) patients whereas it was absent among experimental group (p = 0.001). Also, there was no statistically significant difference of mechanical problems among both the groups although tube displacement and hiccups were present among experimental group. However, the tube displacement was not associated with feeding related problems as it was accidental. Furthermore, the present study concluded that the continuous naso gastric feeding is better than bolus naso gastric feeding in reference to the gastrointestinal complications on day 1 and without having any statistical difference among the mechanical problems in both the groups. Hence, initially the continuous naso gastric feeding can be started among the critically ill patients to control gastrointestinal problems.
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