The modern aspects of patients’ nutritional support during rehabilitation
Authors: Shvets A. V. , Ivanko О. М. , Deputat Yu. M. , Gorishna O. V. , Rychka O. V. 
Published: January 2025

Introduction. The severity of battle pathology in modern wars stipulates prolonged terms of rehabilitation process which may be accompanied by increased patient’s energy losses. In such state, patients require adequate nutritional support at all stages of rehabilitation. It is especially important for patients with long-term immobilization, since periods of immobilization are often complicated by muscle atrophy, and physical exercises cannot always be used due to various reasons. And it is in such cases that properly selected approaches to nutrition can help mitigate muscle losses, preserve muscle strength, and accelerate wounds healing.
Purpose. To analyze modern trends of patients’ nutritional support in lead countries and outline possible aspects that are worth to take into account for improvement of patients’ nutrition during rehabilitation after wounds and traumas.
Materials and methods. Analysis of home and foreign publications for last ten years in Scopus and Google Scholar electronic databases regarding patients’ nutritional support at various stages of rehabilitation was carried out. Medical records of servicemen who were under treatment and rehabilitation in 2014-2023 were studied. Research methods: bibliographic, comparative analysis, statistical.
Results. Based on carried out research, it was concluded that in 2017-2021, the average share of persons with battle wounds and traumas who required extended volumes of rehabilitation assistance (for bone fractures of various localizations) was almost 17%. The share of upper and lower limb amputations among servicemen who were under treatment and rehabilitation at the Military Medical Clinical Curative-Rehabilitation Center was 8.4 % of the total number of wounded. There is an increase in incidence rate of post-traumatic stress disorders among servicemen (veterans). Adequate nutritional support is especially important during rehabilitation after combat wounds and traumas which are accompanied by severe complications and, in particular, stress-related ones. With insufficient nutritional support, malnutrition syndrome occurs, which negatively affects the restoration of impaired functions. Along with this, the combination of rehabilitation nutrition and physiotherapeutic interventions increase probability to achieve desired goals of therapy.
Conclusions. It was revealed that for the period 2017-2021, the average share of persons with battle wounds and traumas who required an extended volume of rehabilitation assistance (for bone fractures of various localizations) was almost 17 %. So at least one from six servicemen with battle wounds and injuries required various type of rehabilitation interventions. It was calculated that in modern war, the share of combined injures (injures of body multiple parts) in structure of sanitary losses is increasing (till 36.8 % based on MMC CRC data). Along with that, head injuries are prevailing in structure of wounds (traumas) by localization (34.3 % based on MMC CRC data). The importance of balanced nutrition during rehabilitation of servicemen after battle wounds and traumas, which improves recovery processes and reduces complications after surgical interventions, was emphasized. It was demonstrated that nutritional support is actual at all stages of rehabilitation. This is especially important during rehabilitation after battle wounds and traumas, which are accompanied by severe complications and, in particular, stress-related ones. Analyses of world experience and the conduct of own studies will allow to develop appropriate nutritional support at all stages of the rehabilitation of servicemen, avoid the negative impact of malnutrition and increase the effectiveness of rehabilitation interventions.