Nutrition in Critically Ill Children

Rosan Meyer, Luise Marino

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

Abstract

Nutritional management of critically ill children (CIC) is a very specialist and challenging area in paediatric practice. A knowledge of metabolic changes and fuel utilisation during physiological stress can assist dietitians in commencing nutritional support at the appropriate time and suggesting a suitable feeding route and feed composition. Critical illness is characterised by a cascade of endocrine and metabolic reactions, affecting all major organs. During critical illness immune cells, e.g. macrophages, lymphocytes and neutrophils, regulate the inflammatory response through the release of cytokines and chemokines. Anthropometry, biochemical markers, clinical and dietary review form part of the nutritional assessment in CIC. This chapter describes the effect of nasogastric versus nasojejunal feeding and continuous feeds versus bolus feeding. A probiotics is a live microbial feed supplement which beneficially affects the host by improving its intestinal microbial balance.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationClinical Paediatric Dietetics: Fourth Edition
PublisherJohn Wiley and Sons Ltd
Pages66-80
Number of pages15
ISBN (Print)9781118915349
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 17 Nov 2014

Publication series

NameClinical Paediatric Dietetics: Fourth Edition

Keywords

  • Anthropometry
  • Biochemical markers
  • Bolus feeding
  • Critically ill children (CIC)
  • Metabolic changes
  • Nasogastric feeding
  • Nasojejunal feeding
  • Nutritional management
  • Probiotics

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