THE EFFECT OF CALORIE-MATCHED NUTRITIONAL SUPPORT ON CLINICAL OUTCOMES IN BURN PATIENTS: A COMPARATIVE STUDY IN THE BURN UNIT

Background: Burn wounds continue to be responsible for significant morbidity and mortality worldwide, and nutritional support is a cornerstone of recovery and outcome. We conducted a prospective, randomized controlled trial to determine the effects of prescription-based calorie-matched nutritional support vs routine standard nutrition in adult burn patients. Method: Fifty patients with burns of 20–50% of total body surface area (TBSA) were randomized in the Burn Center in Al-Najaf, Iraq, to receive either isocaloric (n = 25) or standard nutrition (n = 25). The initial demographic and clinical characteristics were similar between the 2 groups with the exceptions of age and TBSA distribution. Nutritional status was determined by body weight, body mass index, Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST), serum albumin and total albumin before and after intervention. Result: demonstrated the superior effects of calorie-matched nutrition on anthropometric and biochemical parameters. After intervention, the calorie-matched group had higher weight, BMI, serum albumin, and total albumin contents (all P < 0.001) than the standard nutrition group. Additionally, the calorie-matched colony exhibited a significant decrease in the risk at malnutrition showed by MUST scores whereas the standard nutrition treated patients significantly were losing weight and BMI, indicating their caloric intake were not enough. The effects of personalized nutrients were more pronounced in patients with 26–50 % TBSA burns, indicating the necessity of specific nutrition to meet the increased metabolic requirements. Conclusion: calorie-equivalent nutritional support leads to better nutritional and biochemical response than that elicited by standard therapy. The introduction of personalized nutrition protocols in burns departments is highly recommended for improving clinical end points.