{"manuscript_title":"Effect of enteral nutrition support combined with prone mechanical ventilation on CRP and PCT levels in patients with severe pneumonia","abstract":"Objective: This study is intended to investigate the efficacy of enteral nutrition support combined with prone mechanical ventilation in patients with severe pneumonia.Methods: Fifty-five patients with severe pneumonia were enrolled and allocated into a control group (n = 35), receiving conventional mechanical ventilation combined with early enteral nutrition support, and an observation group (n = 20), receiving prone mechanical ventilation combined with early enteral nutrition support. The intervention lasted one week. Changes in blood gas indicators were compared before and after the intervention. Improvement in nutritional status and inflammatory indicators, including serum prealbumin (PAB), albumin (ALB), haemoglobin (HGB) and C-reactive protein (CRP), and procalcitonin (PCT), before and after the intervention were compared. The incidence of adverse events during the intervention was compared between the two groups.Results: After the intervention, both groups showed improved PaO2, SpO2, and PaO2/FiO2 levels and decreased PaCO2 levels, with greater improvement observed in the observation group. Nutritional indicators (PAB, ALB, and HGB) improved noticeably in the observation group. CRP and PCT levels were reduced in both groups, with the observation group demonstrating lower levels. The incidence of adverse events was greatly lower in the observation group (15.00%) compared to the control group (42.86%).Conclusion: Enteral nutrition support combined with prone mechanical ventilation reduces adverse events, enhances respiratory function, improves nutritional status, and effectively controls the inflammatory response, contributing to patient recovery.","keywords":["Severe pneumonia","Enteral nutrition support","Prone mechanical ventilation","Nutritional status","Inflammation","Adverse events"]}