Diet can affect the outcome of mechanical ventilation in patients with chronic respiratory failure.

To compare the effect of a high fat, low carbohydrate enteral feeding to a standard iso-caloric enteral feeding on arterial carbon dioxide tension and ventilation time in patients with type II respiratory failure secondary to pulmonary disease requiring mechanical ventilation.

Subjects and methods

One hundred patients with type II respiratory failure secondary to pulmonary disease requiring mechanical ventilation who could be enterally fed in the respiratory intensive care unit of Ain Shams University Hospitals were enrolled in this study. They were divided randomly into:

Group A: included fifty patients who received standard iso-caloric feeding with carbohydrates (53.3%), fats (30%) and proteins (16.7%).

Group B: included fifty patients who received iso-caloric high fat low carbohydrate feeding with carbohydrates (28.1%), fats (55.2%) and proteins (16.7%) also through the Ryle tube.