Which organizations have provided guidelines on calories and protein for critically ill obese patients?

• A. Society of Critical Care Medicine and the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition
• B. American Heart Association
• C. World Health Organization
• D. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Answer: (A)

In critically ill patients who are obese, energy and protein targets must come from specialized nutrition guidelines rather than general public-health sources. The joint guidelines from the Society of Critical Care Medicine and the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition are the authoritative sources for nutrition therapy in the ICU, including considerations for obesity. They synthesize evidence on appropriate calorie delivery and protein provision in the critically ill, addressing how to balance preventing underfeeding with avoiding overfeeding and how to use weight-based or adjusted-weight calculations.

The other organizations listed—American Heart Association, World Health Organization, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—focus on broader public health, cardiovascular risk reduction, global health guidelines, and population-wide nutrition recommendations. They do not provide ICU-specific guidelines for calories and protein in critically ill obese patients, which is why the joint SCCM/ASPEN guidelines are the correct reference here.