Nutrition and Critically Ill Kids
By Sarah Scales
Article Summary
Stephen Feller wrote an article for United Press International on March 15, 2016 regarding the nutritional needs of critically ill children in ICU. In regards to health, we are taught that nutrition is essential to maintaining health and recovering from critical medical conditions. It is believed that without nutrition, kids cannot get better. So, within 24 hours of admittance into the ICU, children are usually started on nutritional support via IV. However, new research is saying this may not be best. This new research has found that withholding nutrition from children entering the ICU for 7 days has resulted in less infection, less time on mechanical ventilation, and shorter hospital stays when compared to children receiving nutritional support right away through an intravenous line. These findings were consistent for many children with many different medical conditions.
Article Critique
Overall I think this article is a good starting place for information. I would recommend that patients and caretakers review the actual study being talked about. I would also recommend that they find additional resources and always discuss their findings with a medical professional before making any decisions from these articles.
works cited
Feller, S. (n.d.). Stephen Feller. Retrieved March 30, 2016, from http://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenfeller
Fivez, T., M.D., Kerklaan, D., M.D., Mesotten, D., M.D., Ph.D., & Verbruggen, S., M.D., Ph.D. (2016). Early versus Late Parenteral Nutrition in Critically Ill Children. The New England Journal of Medicine, 374(12), 1111-1122. Retrieved April 1, 2016, from http://www.nejm.org/doi/pdf/10.1056/NEJMoa1514762