Nutritional management during critical illness in infants and children.

Abstract

Nutritional needs and management of critically ill infants and children are complex and fundamentally different from adults. In addition to common physiologic issues of nutrition during acute illnesses, infants and children have nutritional needs related to growth and development of the whole child as well as individual organ systems. Critical care nurses play a key role in assuring that both physiologic and developmental needs related to nutrition are met, to prevent long-term complications.