Nutrition Management for Critically Ill Adult Patients Requiring Non-Invasive Ventilation: A Scoping Review

Nutrition management is a core component of intensive care medicine. Despite the increased use of non-invasive ventilation (NIV) for the critically ill, a paucity of evidence on nutrition management precludes recommendations for clinical practice. A scope of the available literature is required to guide future research on this topic. Database searches of MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar were conducted to identify original research articles and available grey literature in English from 1 January 1990 to 17 November 2021 that included adult patients (≥16 years) receiving NIV within an Intensive Care Unit. Data were extracted on: study design, aim, population, nutrition concept, context (ICU type, NIV: use, duration, interface), and outcomes. Of 1730 articles, 16 met eligibility criteria. Articles primarily included single-centre, prospective, observational studies with only 3 randomised controlled trials. Key concepts included route of nutrition (n = 7), nutrition intake (n = 4), energy expenditure (n = 2), nutrition status (n = 1), and nutrition screening (n = 1); 1 unpublished thesis incorporated multiple concepts. Few randomised clinical trials that quantify aspects of nutrition management for critically ill patients requiring NIV have been conducted. Further studies, particularly those focusing on the impact of nutrition during NIV on clinical outcomes, are required to inform clinical practice.