Original Communications Evaluation of Stress Factors and Body Weight Adjustments Currently Used to Estimate Energy Expenditure in Hospitalized Patients

ABSTRACT. Background: The purpose of this study was to critically examine current approaches for estimating energy expenditure and requirements of hospitalized patients requiring nutrition support. Methods: All indirect calorimetry tests performed by our adult nutrition support service from 1991 to 2000 were reviewed. Stress factors were calculated as the measured energy expenditure divided by the predicted energy expenditure using the Harris-Benedict equation. Var-ious methods for adjusting the body weights of obese subjects for use in the Harris-Benedict equation were evaluated. Results: The average stress factor for these hospitalized patients was 1.25, and there were no differences in the stress factors between men and women. For obese subjects, using an adjusted body weight equal to ideal body weight plus 50% of the difference between ideal and actual body weight in th