Nutritional assessment in a pediatric intensive care unit

Abstract

Objective To assess nutritional status of critically ill children, and to investigate the correlation of nutritional status with illness severity and clinical outcomes, so as to provide a theoretical basis for rational nutrition support of critically ill children. Methods All patients hospitalized in the pediatric intensive care unit of Beijing Children' s Hospital from November, 2010 to January 2011 were enrolled and studied prospectively. We collected anthropometric parameters (body length/height, body weight, head circumference, etc) for nutritional assessment, as well as their clinical data such as underlying diseases, pediatric risk of mortality scores (PRISM) , length of hospital stay and mechanical ventilation duration. Results In 196 cases , the prevalence of malnutrition was 21.9% (43/196). Malnutrition group had greater PRISM scores, higher mechanical ventilation rate and a lower 28-day survival rate than normal nutritional status group (allP <0.05). Conclusions The prevalence of malnutrition on admission to the PICU was high and poor nutritional status indicated greater illness severity and adverse clinical outcomes Key words: Critical illness; Malnutrition; Anthropometry; Nutritional status; Pediatric critical illness score; Pediatric risk of mortality scores; Severity of diseases; Clinical outcomes.