Nutritional care of the critically ill patient.

Nutritional care is a supportive measure. Just as ventilatory support does not "cure" underlying pulmonary disease, nutritional support may not in itself resolve the disease that causes inadequate intake of nutrients. In the setting of multimodality care in the ICU, the provision of calories and protein to maintain the body cell mass is the initial goal. Such an approach will minimize feeding complications yet prevent nutritional debility. An acceptably low rate of complications is possible but can only be achieved by strict attention to detail. When the acute phase of the disease resolves, more vigorous nutritional support is possible and will restore body composition to normal.