Assessment of Nutritional Status, Resuscitation Modalities of Malnutrition, and Enteral Feeding Products for Children with Neurological Disorders

Objective: Children with neurological disorders are frequently associated with factors leading to malnutrition, such as decreased food intake, increased nutrient loss, and nutrient requirement. Assessment of nutritional status and implementation of appropriate nutritional support are essential for the optimal care of these patients in multidisciplinary feeding programs. To evaluate nutritional status assessment, management modalities, and the spectrum of feeding products in children with neurological diseases in the tertiary unit. Methods. A cross-sectional retrospective study cohort consisted of 226 children with neurological disorders who were evaluated for nutritional assessment in the University Pediatric Neurology Clinic between 2017 and 2022. We evaluated the nutritional assessment methods, nutritional resuscitation modalities, and the selection spectrum of enteral feeding products in the cohort. All patients were consulted by the pediatric gastroenterology department. Results. Nutritional resuscitation was managed with gastrostomy tube feeding in 50 children (21.8%), nasogastric tube feeding in 80 (34.9%), and the remaining with per-oral feeding (43.2%). The spectrum of enteral feeding products in the cohort was: hypercaloric versus isocaloric products = 63.6%/36.4% for oral feeding, 46.9%/53.1% for tube feeding, p = 0.012). Conclusion. When compared to our previously reported results (3.9%), there was a significantly higher number of children resuscitated with gastrostomy tube feeding. This situation is attributed to the fact that our hospital is a tertiary level unit and the adaptability of our healthcare professionals to the nutritional assessment and management modalities of nutrition-related problems in children with neurological disorders.
Keywords: Malnutrition, Enteral Feeding, Neurological Disorders, Nutritional Resuscitation Modalities