Hospitalization and nutrition in a positive Covid patient
COVID-19 disease, caused by SARS-CoV-2 virus infection, can lead to manifestations even severe clinics such as pneumonia with respiratory failure, respiratory distress syndrome acute (ARDS), sepsis and septic shock, which require urgent hospitalization in ICU. ARDS in particular manifests itself as a serious failure hypoxic respiratory accompanied by inflammation, pulmonary edema and risk of dysfunction multi-organ and is often required mechanical ventilation invasive. Generally patients who died from SARS-CoV-2 infection they have an average age of 78 years and 3 or more comorbidities including chronic non-pathologies transmissible diseases such as ischemic heart disease, hypertension, diabetes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
This is why COVID-19 is the new β-coronavirus, which can lead to various pulmonary phenomena and death (~ 10%) and represents a global health challenge. Medical nutrition therapy is among the pillars of therapeutic principles and a fundamental tool among global therapeutic measures for patients with COVID-19.
Malnourished people with low immunity and chronic diseases have a worse higher prognosis and mortality rates. The relevance of nutritional therapy is important and should be implemented as a first-line treatment and implemented in the anti-Covid-19 clinical practice standard. Good nutrition not only provides the body with immunity to disease, including COVID-19, but it is also the main guarantee for the promotion of the recovery of the disease and the infected patient. However, the indications for nutritional therapy must be tailored. Nutritionists should pay attention to the most appropriate artificial nutrition (AN) approach with enteral nutrition (EN) or parenteral nutrition (PN). Plan, the method, route and formula of nutritional therapy must be adapted dynamically and promptly in accordance with the clinical characteristics of the patient COVID-19. The transition between ONS, EN and PN should be fluid, following the principle that when the EN can satisfy 50% of the target demand, the PN can be constantly reduced and carried out arrested; when the ONS can satisfy 50% of the target demand, the EN it can be progressively reduced and therefore arrested.