Association of energy delivery with short-term survival in mechanically ventilated critically ill adult patients: a secondary analysis of the NEED trial

Background and aims The optimal energy delivery for mechanically ventilated patients is controversial, particularly during the first week of ICU admission. This study aimed to investigate the association between different caloric adequacy and 28-day mortality in a cohort of critically ill adults on mechanical ventilation. Methods This is a secondary analysis of a multicenter, cluster-randomized controlled trial. Eligible patients were divided into four quartiles (Q1-Q4) according to caloric adequacy calculated by the actual average daily energy delivery during the first seven days of ICU stay divided by energy requirement as a percentage. Cox proportional hazards models were used to examine the impact of different quartiles of caloric adequacy on 28-day mortality in the whole cohort and subgroups with different nutritional risk status at enrollment. Results A total of 1587 patients were included in this study, with an overall 28-day mortality of 15.8%. The average caloric adequacy was 26.3 ± 11.9% (Q1), 52.5 ± 5.5% (Q2), 71.7 ± 6.4% (Q3), 107.0 ± 22.2% (Q4), respectively ( p < 0.001 among quartiles). Compared with Q1, Q3 was associated with lower mortality in the unadjusted model (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.536; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.375–0.767; P = 0.001) and adjusted model (adjusted HR = 0.508; 95% CI, 0.339–0.761; P = 0.001). This association remained valid in the subgroup of high nutritional risk patients (unadjusted HR = 0.387; 95% CI, 0.238–0.627; P < 0.001 and adjusted HR = 0.369; 95% CI, 0.216–0.630; P < 0.001, respectively), but not in those with low risk. Conclusions Energy delivery near the 70% energy requirements in the first week of ICU stay was associated with reduced 28-day mortality among mechanically ventilated critically ill patients, especially in patients with high nutrition risk at admission.