PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Zaher, Sara
TI  - Incorporating ultrasonography to the nutritional assessment process in intensive care settings to improve the prescription of enteral and parenteral nutrition
AID  - 10.15537/smj.2024.45.7.20240082
DP  - 2024 Jul 01
TA  - Saudi Medical Journal
PG  - 653--657
VI  - 45
IP  - 7
4099  - http://smj.org.sa/content/45/7/653.short
4100  - http://smj.org.sa/content/45/7/653.full
SO  - Saudi Med J2024 Jul 01; 45
AB  - The validity of the traditional nutritional assessment tools in intensive care settings might be compromised when the patient has conditions such as oedema and inflammation. Ultrasound (US) is considered a non-invasive, bedside tool that can be utilized to assess changes in muscle mass. Hence, US could guide healthcare practitioners in identifying the varying degrees of malnutrition and adjusting the nutritional prescription accordingly. This review discusses the currently available data regarding the feasibility and practicality of using US measurements in intensive care settings. Overall, the data suggest that using US as part of the standard anthropometric assessment for critically ill patients is a promising tool to track variations in muscle mass. This has the potential to enhance nutritional prescription and tailor the provision of protein and energy to critically ill patients based on their lean body mass measurements. Therefore, it is recommended to train dietitians on utilizing US for body composition measurements.