Association of the enteral nutrition support with mortality, biochemical parameters, and health markers in geriatric patients with COVID-19: A retrospective cohort study

This study aims to evaluate the association of the enteral nutrition support on mortality, biochemical parameters, and health markers in geriatric patients with COVID-19 treated in intensive care units (ICUs). A retrospective cohort analysis was conducted on 226 patients aged 60 years and older admitted to the COVID-19 adult ICU of Yildirim Beyazit University Training and Research Hospital in 2021. Demographics, ICU stay characteristics, biochemical parameters, and nutrition therapy details were collected from hospital records. Patients receiving enteral nutrition were categorized by product type (e.g., diabetic, immunonutrition, glutamine-containing, etc.), and their association on mortality, biochemical markers, and ICU outcomes were evaluated. The mortality rate was 50.4%, with an mean ICU stay of 9.63±6.50 days. Most patients (90.3%) had chronic conditions. Nutrition therapy was administered to 138 patients using various products. Immunonutrition products were associated with improved albumin levels and reduced mortality (p