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Published on: August 19, 2020
Nutrition therapy in the critically ill child
Heather E Skillman1, Nilesh M Mehta
1Department of Clinical Nutrition, Children's Hospital Colorado, Aurora, Colorado, USA.
Current Opinion in Critical Care
|February 11, 2012
Summary
Optimizing nutrition in critically ill children is crucial. Early enteral nutrition and adherence to guidelines improve outcomes, but further research on indirect calorimetry and glucose targets is needed.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric critical care medicine
- Clinical nutrition
- Metabolic research
Background:
- Malnutrition and obesity are common in pediatric intensive care units (PICU).
- Nutritional status significantly impacts outcomes in critically ill children.
- Suboptimal nutrient delivery can worsen critical illness progression.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review recent advancements in nutrition assessment for critically ill children.
- To explore energy balance, indirect calorimetry, and nutrition therapy strategies.
- To identify barriers to nutrient delivery and monitoring during enteral feeding.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of recent investigations in pediatric critical care nutrition.
- Analysis of studies on indirect calorimetry for energy expenditure assessment.
- Evaluation of enteral nutrition practices and guideline adherence.
Main Results:
- Critically ill children face high risks of energy and protein imbalance.
- Indirect calorimetry is the gold standard for assessing energy needs.
- Early enteral nutrition enhances nutrition outcomes; guidelines help overcome delivery barriers.
Conclusions:
- Timely and adequate nutrition therapy is vital for improving outcomes.
- Further research is needed on clinical benefits of indirect calorimetry and enteral nutrition guidelines.
- Optimal glucose targets in critically ill children require further investigation.
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