Nutrition assessment of the critically ill child

Nutrition assessment is an integral part of the evaluation of the critically ill child. The goal of nutrition assessment is to identify those children who are malnourished and those who are at risk of becoming malnourished. Malnutrition is known to affect wound healing, infection rate, mortality, and morbidity, making early identification of children at risk essential. An initial assessment consists of a complete history and physical examination. The history and physical examination findings are then evaluated in conjunction with appropriate laboratory and anthropometric measurements. Through vigilant nutrition assessment, prompt, appropriate nutrition support can be provided to the critically ill child.