Factors associated with delayed enteral nutrition in the intensive care unit: a propensity score–matched retrospective cohort study

Guidelines recommend enteral nutrition (EN) within 48 h of admission to the medical intensive care unit (ICU) in appropriate patients. However, delayed EN is still common. This study sought to identify risk factors for delayed EN ordering in the ICU and to examine its association with patient outcomes. This was a retrospective study from 2010–2018. Adult patients were included if they were admitted to the medical ICU for >48 h, were appropriate for EN, and had an order for EN placed within 30 d of admission. The primary outcome was ordering of EN, classified as early if ordered within 48 h of ICU admission and otherwise as delayed. Propensity score matching was used to examine the relation between delayed EN and ICU-free days, and outcomes such as length of ICU admission, length of hospitalization during 30 d of follow-up, and mortality. A total of 738 (79%) patients received early EN and 196 (21%) received delayed EN. The exposures most strongly associated with delayed EN were order placement by a Doctor of Medicine compared with a dietitian [adjusted OR (aOR): 2.58; 95% CI: 1.57, 4.24] and use of vasopressors within 48 h of ICU admission (aOR: 1.78; 95% CI: 1.22, 2.59). After propensity score matching to balance baseline characteristics, delayed EN ordering was significantly associated with fewer ICU-free days, longer ICU admissions, and longer hospitalizations, but not mortality, compared with early EN. Provider-level factors were associated with delayed ordering of EN which itself was associated with worse outcomes. Interventions directed at providers may increase timely EN in the ICU and improve outcomes.