Energy intake and expenditure in selected groups of hospital patients

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Abstract
In order to determine the daily energy need in different diseases and to define groups at risk for an inadequate supply, 70 patients in five selected groups of hospital patients were studied: 34 randomly selected medical patients (group I), 11 debilitated elderly patients who needed assistance in eating (group II), 14 geriatric patients (group III), six active patients referred to the hospital for observation or control (group IV), and three severely burned patients during rehabilitation (group V). Energy intake was measured in all groups by weighing or recording methods, and energy expenditure was measured by the heart rate monitoring method in groups III and IV. A wide range of daily energy intakes was found in group I (940 to 2950 kcal). The elderly disabled patients in group II had remarkably low energy intake (range 570 to 1780). In group III, the low energy expenditure of an average 1480 kcal/day, indicated adaptation to a low energy intake, mean 1360 kcal/day (range 760 to 1860). High energy expenditure, mean 2850 kcal/day (range 1950 to 3330), was found in group IV accompanied by weight reduction due to negative energy balance. The energy need for weight maintenance was 4120 and 3020 kcal/day in two of the burned patients while the energy need for weight gain was 2800 and 3770 kcal/day in two of the patients. Thus, elderly, debilitated patients as well as active patients admitted to hospital for medical observation or control received an inadequate energy supply.