Measurement of energy expenditure in clinical nutritional assessment.

Indirect calorimetry with the ventilated-hood open circuit is a useful and accurate technique to measure energy expenditure in acutely ill patients. This approach should be useful to evaluate the energy and the nutrient needs of a patient under acute conditions. The measurement of energy expenditure is of obvious importance in assessing protein-calorie malnutrition. A better understanding of energy balance and nitrogen balance in critically ill patients is needed to determine the best caloric and nutrient intake to avoid tissue depletion. It is foreseen that this method will become more widely used when reliable equipment is made available.