Use of an Electronic Feeds Calorie Calculator in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit

Strategies to improve nutritional management are associated with better outcomes in pediatric intensive care units. We implemented a calorie-based protocol that integrated an electronic feeds calculator and stepwise feeds increment algorithm.

Using a pretest-posttest design, we compared the effectiveness of the calorie-based protocol with an existing fluid-based protocol in a quality improvement project. The main outcome measure was the proportion of patients prescribed with the appropriate amount of calories (defined as 90%-110% of calculated energy requirements). Nurses were surveyed on their satisfaction with the new calorie-based protocol. We compared consecutive patients enrolled in the calorie-based protocol over 21 months with retrospective data of patients in the fluid-based protocol. χ ² and Mann-Whitney U tests were used to compare categorical and continuous variables, respectively.

We enrolled 75 and 92 patients in the fluid-based (pre) and calorie-based (post) protocols, respectively. Both groups did not differ in their age, reasons for pediatric intensive care units admissions, length of stay, duration of mechanical ventilation, and risks of mortality. The frequency of appropriate feeds prescription increased (16.0% versus 33.7%, P = 0.002). The new protocol significantly reduced the time from protocol initiation to full feeds (median: 18.0 hours, interquartile range = 18.0-27.5 versus median: 12.8 hours, interquartile range = 12.0-16.0, P < 0.001). The satisfaction surveys (n = 63) revealed favorable nursing perceptions.

The use of a calorie-based protocol with an electronic calculator led to an improvement in the accuracy of the prescribed feeds and the time required to attain full enteral feeding. Nursing perceptions regarding the protocol were positive.