Abstract

Session presented on Friday, July 22, 2016 and Thursday, July 21, 2016:

A Low Microbial Diet has been introduced to patients who are immunocompromised in an effort to reduce the risk of sepsis. There has been a continued discrepancy among Medical Institutions in practicing the use of Low Microbial Diets also known as Neutropenic Diet. It is a controversy because every hospital delivers care differently guided by their individual research and belief. Although this dietary practice seems reasonable and prudent, there is still a lack in evidence and literature to support the practice making it weak and questionable. The purpose of this review is to decipher the effectiveness of 'Low Microbial Diet' in immunocompromised adult bone marrow transplant patients. It will also identify the controversial efficacy and validity of the diet by reviewing any evidence based literature that supports claims for use and effectiveness. A literature search was undertaken using the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and Pubmed, from 2006 to 2011, to reveal any changes or attempt to evaluate the validity of Low Microbial Diet in the Blood and Marrow Transplant population. Up to this day, there are few studies gathered about how Low Microbial Diet effects immunocompromised patients. The studies that have been conducted may have the same subject matter of Low Microbial Diet but focus on different cancer populations. Periods of immunocompromised state were inconsistent in adult blood and marrow transplant patients which can pose another barrier in knowing the truth behind Low Microbial Diets' efficacy. Moreover, there is still scant evidence on the effectiveness of diet to adult blood and marrow transplant patients. Because of this review, liberalization of the Low Microbial Diet has been instituted at Stanford's Department of Blood and Marrow Transplant in early 2012. Food choice offerings not only became of greater variety but less labor intensive and also more acceptable. Since implementation, there are only 3 unrelated lactobacillus infections to date at Stanford?s Department of Blood and Marrow Transplant.

Author Details

Maria Christina M. Fernandez, RN, PHN; Tara Coghlin Dickson, RD, CSSD

Sigma Membership

Non-member

Type

Poster

Format Type

Text-based Document

Study Design/Type

N/A

Research Approach

N/A

Keywords:

Low Microbial Diet, Immunocompromised, Adult Bone Marrow Transplant Patients

Conference Name

27th International Nursing Research Congress

Conference Host

Sigma Theta Tau International

Conference Location

Cape Town, South Africa

Conference Year

2016

Rights Holder

All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record.

All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository.

All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.

Acquisition

Proxy-submission

Share

COinS
 

Efficacy of low microbial diet in immunocompromised adult bone marrow transplant patients

Cape Town, South Africa

Session presented on Friday, July 22, 2016 and Thursday, July 21, 2016:

A Low Microbial Diet has been introduced to patients who are immunocompromised in an effort to reduce the risk of sepsis. There has been a continued discrepancy among Medical Institutions in practicing the use of Low Microbial Diets also known as Neutropenic Diet. It is a controversy because every hospital delivers care differently guided by their individual research and belief. Although this dietary practice seems reasonable and prudent, there is still a lack in evidence and literature to support the practice making it weak and questionable. The purpose of this review is to decipher the effectiveness of 'Low Microbial Diet' in immunocompromised adult bone marrow transplant patients. It will also identify the controversial efficacy and validity of the diet by reviewing any evidence based literature that supports claims for use and effectiveness. A literature search was undertaken using the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and Pubmed, from 2006 to 2011, to reveal any changes or attempt to evaluate the validity of Low Microbial Diet in the Blood and Marrow Transplant population. Up to this day, there are few studies gathered about how Low Microbial Diet effects immunocompromised patients. The studies that have been conducted may have the same subject matter of Low Microbial Diet but focus on different cancer populations. Periods of immunocompromised state were inconsistent in adult blood and marrow transplant patients which can pose another barrier in knowing the truth behind Low Microbial Diets' efficacy. Moreover, there is still scant evidence on the effectiveness of diet to adult blood and marrow transplant patients. Because of this review, liberalization of the Low Microbial Diet has been instituted at Stanford's Department of Blood and Marrow Transplant in early 2012. Food choice offerings not only became of greater variety but less labor intensive and also more acceptable. Since implementation, there are only 3 unrelated lactobacillus infections to date at Stanford?s Department of Blood and Marrow Transplant.