This review will add
to an overall understanding about the role of carbohydrates and
fats in nutrition support in burn patients. The optimal combination
of enteralmacronutrients should help to optimise clinical outcomes
in these patients by reducing the hypermetabolic responseand muscle protein breakdown, and conversely by promoting anabolismand
improved wound healing. Furthermore, optimization
of enteral macronutrient proportions should improve GI tolerance,
minimizing diarrhoea, constipation, nausea and vomiting,
and promoting gut health generally. Assessing optimal macronutrient
proportionsmay allow care providers to appropriately weigh
patient factors (e.g. hyperglycaemia) when deciding whether or
not to manipulate the macronutrient proportions in a patient’s
enteral formula.
This review seeks to aid in developing an evidence-based approach
to the medico-nutritional management of burn patients, potentially
justifying clinical recommendations and informing future
research efforts.