Nasogastric feeding to supplement nutrition! Burn and scald danger survival

Nutritional supplementation during burn treatment should not be underestimated! The 12 Formosa Funabashi dust explosion victims admitted to Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital are all seriously injured. In addition to providing them with water and preventing infection, adequate nutrition is also a focus of treatment. Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital uses nasoduodenal feeding to provide approximately 2,500cc of nutritional supplements for 16 hours a day, which can provide more than 3,000 calories to maintain normal body functions.

Doctor Xu Rongyuan (pictured) said that burn patients need to eat 12 bowls of rice every day to meet the body's needs. (Photo courtesy of Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital)

Xu Rongyuan, deputy director of Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital and a hepatobiliary gastroenterologist, said that nourishing care for patients with burns is very important. These burn patients need to eat 12 bowls of rice every day to meet the body's needs. It is difficult for ordinary people to eat such a large amount in a day, let alone patients with severe burns. Especially when the burn area is larger or the depth is deeper, the required nutrition is relatively higher, and it must not be neglected.

2500cc nutritional supplement = 3000 calories

Especially when the injured have difficulty eating and are in urgent need of nutritional supplements, Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital provides nutritional treatment through nasogastric feeding. The 12 patients were fed an average of about 2,500cc of nutritional supplements for 16 hours a day, which could provide more than 3,000 calories. If the patient can eat on his own, diet and tube feeding can be performed simultaneously.

Basically, the amount of nutritional supplements required by patients through feeding is related to the surface area of ​​the burns and the age. For young people, 1% of the burn area requires 40 calories, and 1 kg of body weight requires 25 calories. If calculated for a 20-year-old patient weighing 60 kg and with a burn area of ​​50%, the required calories are 3,500 calories.

High-protein diet speeds up wound healing

Regarding the nutritional intake of patients with burns and scalds, Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital nutritionist Lin Yufang emphasized that the calorie requirement of patients with severe burns and scalds is twice the normal level, with protein accounting for about 20% of the total calories, and a high-calorie diet such as starch, refined sugars, fats, proteins, and oils. Vitamins A and C as well as zinc, potassium, and iron also play a very important role in wound healing and infection prevention.

Nutritionist Lin Yufang (right) stressed that a high-protein diet can help burn patients overcome nutritional deficiencies. (Photo courtesy of Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital)

Basically, during the treatment and recovery period, the rate of protein decomposition and consumption in the patient's body accelerates, so it is necessary to effectively supplement high amounts of protein components, and give priority to high-protein foods with high protein utilization rates, such as whey protein, dairy products, beans, fish, meat, eggs, etc., to actively nourish the body.

Supplement multivitamins to enhance body metabolism

In addition, when burns occur, the patient's metabolic rate speeds up, and eating small and frequent meals can be used to increase and ensure adequate calorie intake, which helps promote protein synthesis in the patient's body and wound recovery. At the same time, timely supplementation of multivitamins and minerals should be carried out to help patients recover.

Among them, vitamin A can maintain immune function and epidermal growth, vitamin B group can promote the metabolism of nutrients, vitamin C can participate in collagen synthesis and help wound healing, the mineral zinc is a cofactor for energy metabolism and protein synthesis, the mineral potassium can make protein effectively utilized, and phosphorus and potassium can also help regulate energy metabolism to facilitate rapid recovery of wounds.