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

February 16, 2026 updated by: Ilkay Ceylan, Bursa Yuksek Ihtisas Training and Research Hospital

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

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.

Study Overview

Status

Enrolling by invitation

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

15

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Turkey (Türkiye)
      • Bursa, Turkey (Türkiye)
        • Bursa Yuksek Ihtisas Research and Education Hospital

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

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

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Prevention
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Cold Enteral Feeding
Dietary supplement: enteral nutrition
Cold enteral feeding (24-25 degree), warm enteral feeding (36-37 degree)
Dietary supplement: enteral nutrition
cold enteral nutrition
Active Comparator: Warm Enteral feeding
Dietary supplement: enteral nutrition
Cold enteral feeding (24-25 degree), warm enteral feeding (36-37 degree)
Dietary supplement: enteral nutrition
cold enteral nutrition

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome 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.
Time Frame: Baseline (0 minutes) and up to 480 minutes after enteral feeding
Baseline (0 minutes) and up to 480 minutes after enteral feeding

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Bursa Yuksek Ihtisas Training and Research Hospital

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

September 1, 2025

Primary Completion (Estimated)

May 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

August 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

February 10, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 10, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

February 17, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

February 18, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 16, 2026

Last Verified

February 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 2024-TBEK 2025/08-17

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

Individual participant data will not be shared because of the limited sample size, potential risks to participant confidentiality, and institutional restrictions on data sharing.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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