Abstract
Early initiation of enteral nutrition (EN) in pediatrics has been associated with
improved clinical outcomes in critically ill pediatric patients. This research study
aimed to measure the effect of early EN in intubated children on the length of stay
(LOS) and days of mechanical ventilation (DMV). A retrospective cohort observational
study was performed on patients admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU).
We gathered the information from available medical records. Our exposure variable
was EN, which can be classified as either early-onset (less than 72 hours following
PICU admission) or late-onset (greater than or equal to 72 hours following PICU admission).
The response variables were LOS defined as the period of time from either hospital
or PICU admission to the time of hospital discharge and DMV defined as the length
of time from endotracheal intubation to successful extubation. Late EN was associated
with an increase in both hospital LOS consisting of 9.82 days and PICU LOS consisting
of 5.89 days, and DMV consisting of 3.92 days compared with those patients receiving
early EN. In addition, the disruption of EN was also associated with an increased
hospital LOS consisting of 10.7 days. Patients in the PICU, undergoing mechanical
ventilation, who received late EN have an increased risk of unfavorable outcomes consisting
of prolonged hospital LOS, PICU-LOS, and DMV which may be further aggravated by any
disruption of EN.
Keywords
enteral nutrition - mechanical ventilation - pediatric intensive care unit - length
of stay
