Cold vs Warm Enteral Feeding and Gastric Emptying in Adult ICU Patients

Effect of Cold and Warm Enteral Feeding on Gastric Emptying in Adult Intensive Care Patients: A Cross-Over Study

Status

Enrolling by invitation

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT07415616

Enrollment

Registered

2026-02-17

Start date

2025-09-01

Completion date

2026-08-01

Last updated

2026-02-18

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Enteral Nutrition (Food for Special Medical Purposes), Gastric Emptying

Brief summary

In critically ill patients receiving enteral nutrition in the intensive care unit, the functional capacity of the gastrointestinal system can be significantly influenced by the mode of nutritional support. The temperature of enteral feeding may exert potential effects on gastric emptying, intestinal motility, and nutrient absorption. However, the existing literature on the impact of feeding temperature is limited, and randomized or cross-over controlled studies directly comparing warm and cold enteral feeding are scarce. This study aims to systematically evaluate the effects of enteral feeding temperature on feeding tolerance (vomiting and aspiration), gastric emptying rate (gastric residual volume), and the incidence of diarrhea, thereby providing evidence to inform clinical practice.

Interventions

DIETARY_SUPPLEMENTenteral nutrition

Cold enteral feeding (24-25 degree), warm enteral feeding (36-37 degree)

Study design

Allocation

Intervention model

CROSSOVER

Primary purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

SINGLE (Subject)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

18 Years to No maximum

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

* Patients aged 18 years or older * Expected length of stay in the intensive care unit of at least 96 hours * Patients receiving enteral nutrition via a nasogastric tube * Absence of ileus or active gastrointestinal bleeding

Exclusion criteria

* Patients younger than 18 years of age * Use of high-dose opioids known to affect gastrointestinal motility * Patients receiving parenteral nutrition * Known gastrointestinal diseases or a history of gastrointestinal surgery * Patients with acute intracranial events will not be included in the study

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Gastric volume measured by ultrasonography at 60, 90, 120, 180, 240, 360, and 480 minutes after administration of cold and warm enteral feeding.	Baseline (0 minutes) and up to 480 minutes after enteral feeding

Countries

Turkey (Türkiye)

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 19, 2026