Clinical Evaluation of Enteral Nutrition + Probiotics in the Treatment of Gastrointestinal Dysfunction After Severe Traumatic Brain Injury

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the therapeutic effect of enteral nutrition + probiotics in patients with gastrointestinal dysfunction after severe craniocerebral injury. Methods: From September 2018 to February 2023, 80 patients (20–82 years old) with gastrointestinal dysfunction who were admitted to the Intensive Care Unit at the Third People’s Hospital of Xining were included in the study. Their primary condition was severe craniocerebral injury, and all of them received conventional symptomatic treatment. Group A received enteral nutrition + probiotic therapy, whereas group B received enteral nutrition only. The differences in the following indicators were compared before and after treatment: nutritional and biochemical indicators, gastrointestinal function indicators, Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA), APACHE II score, serum procalcitonin (PCT), neutrophil (N) ratio, and C reactive protein (CRP). Result: The nutritional and biochemical indicators in group A were higher than those in group B, P < 0.05; the time to first passage of flatus, time to first passage of stool, and bowel sound recovery time in group A were shorter than those in group B, P < 0.05; the GCS of group A was higher than that of group B, P < 0.05; the SOFA and APACHE Ⅱ scores of group A were not different from those of group B, P > 0.05; and the PCT, N ratio, and CRP levels of group A were lower than those of group B, P < 0.05. Conclusion: In patients with gastrointestinal dysfunction after severe craniocerebral injury, enteral nutrition + probiotic therapy is highly effective and feasible, as it can optimize various nutritional indicators, shorten the gastrointestinal function recovery time, and reduce the body’s stress response.