Effects of dietary fibre on enteral feeding intolerance and clinical outcomes in critically ill patients: A meta-analysis

Although some studies have explored the relationships between dietary fibre and enteral feeding intolerance in critically ill patients, the results are equivocal.This study aimed to explore the effects of dietary fibre on enteral feeding intolerance and clinical outcomes in critically ill patients.We searched five databases from inception to July 12, 2021. Data were expressed as mean difference or odds ratio with 95% confidence interval.Thirteen studies enrolled 709 critically ill patients included in the study. The results showed the dietary fibre group had a significantly decreased risk of diarrhea (OR: 0.46, 95% CI: 0.30,0.69, P < 0.001), regurgitation (OR: 0.28, 95%CI: 0.13, 0.60, P < 0.05), vomiting (OR: 0.40, 95%CI: 0.17, 0.92, P < 0.05), constipation (OR: 0.21, 95%CI: 0.09, 0.47, P < 0.001) and mortality (OR:0.34; 95%CI:-0.13, 0.91; P < 0.05) compared with the fibre free group. Besides, there was a significant decrease on time to reach full enteral nutrition (MD:-2.08; 95%CI:-4.05, -0.12; P < 0.05), the duration of the intensive care unit stay (MD:-4.62; 95%CI:-6.60, -2.64; P < 0.001) and hospital stay (MD:-6.42; 95%CI:-9.49, -3.36; P < 0.001) in the dietary fibre group.Dietary fibre supplementation may significantly reduce the risk of enteral feeding intolerance and improve the clinical outcomes.