Background & Aims: increase in residual gastric volume is one of the main problems for mechanically ventilated patientsdue to tube feeding which can expose them to returning gastric contents and respiratory aspiration. This study is conducted to determine the effect of  fenugreek seeds on residual gastric volume and respiratory aspiration of patients with mechanical ventilation.
Materials & Methods: In this double-blind randomized controlled clinical trial with before and after design, 60 mechanically ventilated patients hospitalized in ICUs were divided into intervention and control groups. Intervention group (30 patients) and control group (n = 30) after matching for sex, age, disease status and medications. Intervention group received 3 mg fenugreek seeds twice a day for 5 days and  the control group received only the routine treatment. Respiratory aspiration and gastric residual volumes of admission and during the five days were measured. Data analysis was performed using cocran test and repeated measures was done with Anova, also the significance level of 0.05
Result:There was a significant difference between the fenugreek group and the control group in the   first admission
(p =0/00). The mean and standard deviation of the residual volume increased in the control group compared with receiving Fenugreek seeds, which was significant (p=0.00). There was a trend toward a decrease in respiratory aspiration in the fenugreek group (3. 3% vs. 33.3%, p=0.005). Rat mortality was no significant difference in the 2 groups.
Conclusions: Results showed that gastric feed with fenugreek seeds might reduce residua  gastric volume and help reduce the incidence of respiratory aspirationin patients with mechanical ventilation.