Indications for Support

Indications for Nutrition Support in the PICU: Patients at Risk

All PICU patients will be screened by the PICU nutritionist within 72 hours of admission to determine if they are at nutrition risk or in need of nutrition support via the enteral or parenteral route.

The following conditions put infants and children at increased nutritional risk:

  1. Hypermetabolic states: trauma: closed head injury, spinal cord injury
  2. Post-surgical patients
  3. Cardiorespiratory illness: congenital heart defects, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, cystic fibrosis
  4. Gastrointestinal disease and dysfunction: short gut syndrome, exacerbation of inflammatory bowel disease with history of PEM, hepatic failure, biliary atresia, pancreatitis
  5. Neurologic, muscular disease: genetic syndromes, Guillan-Barre', muscular dystrophy, history of CP/MR requiring G-tube feedings