Effect of a nurse-driven feeding algorithm and the institution of a nutritional support team on energy and macronutrient intake in critically ill children

Implementing a physician-driven feeding protocol is not sufficient to achieve adequate caloric and protein delivery in a paediatric intensive care unit: A retrospective cohort study

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Daily caloric and protein intake is crucial for the management of critically ill children. The benefit of feeding protocols in improving daily nutritional intake in children remains controversial. This study aimed to assess whether the introduction of an enteral feeding protocol in a paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) improves daily caloric and protein delivery on day 5 after admission and the accuracy of the medical prescription.

METHODS

Children admitted to our PICU for a minimum of 5 days who received enteral feeding were included. Daily caloric and protein intake were recorded and retrospectively compared before and after the introduction of the feeding protocol.

RESULTS

Caloric and protein intake was similar before and after introduction of the feeding protocol. The prescribed caloric target was significantly lower than the theoretical target. The children who received less than 50% of the caloric and protein targets were significantly heavier and taller than those who received more than 50%; the patients who received more than 100% of the caloric and protein aims on day 5 after admission had a decreased PICU length of stay and decreased duration of invasive ventilation.

CONCLUSION

The introduction of a physician-driven feeding protocol was not associated with an increase in the daily caloric or protein intake in our cohort. Other methods of improving nutritional delivery and patient outcomes need to be explored.

Nutritional support for children during critical illness: European Society of Pediatric and Neonatal Intensive Care (ESPNIC) metabolism, endocrine and nutrition section position statement and clinical recommendations

Background

Nutritional support is considered essential for the outcome of paediatric critical illness. There is a lack of methodologically sound trials to provide evidence-based guidelines leading to diverse practices in PICUs worldwide. Acknowledging these limitations, we aimed to summarize the available literature and provide practical guidance for the paediatric critical care clinicians around important clinical questions many of which are not covered by previous guidelines.

Objective

To provide an ESPNIC position statement and make clinical recommendations for the assessment and nutritional support in critically ill infants and children.

Design

The metabolism, endocrine and nutrition (MEN) section of the European Society of Pediatric and Neonatal Intensive Care (ESPNIC) generated 15 clinical questions regarding different aspects of nutrition in critically ill children. After a systematic literature search, the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) grading system was applied to assess the quality of the evidence, conducting meta-analyses where possible, to generate statements and clinical recommendations, which were then voted on electronically. Strong consensus (> 95% agreement) and consensus (> 75% agreement) on these statements and recommendations was measured through modified Delphi voting rounds.

Results

The final 15 clinical questions generated a total of 7261 abstracts, of which 142 publications were identified relevant to develop 32 recommendations. A strong consensus was reached in 21 (66%) and consensus was reached in 11 (34%) of the recommendations. Only 11 meta-analyses could be performed on 5 questions.

Conclusions

We present a position statement and clinical practice recommendations. The general level of evidence of the available literature was low. We have summarised this and provided a practical guidance for the paediatric critical care clinicians around important clinical questions.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1007/s00134-019-05922-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Use of an Electronic Feeds Calorie Calculator in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text.

Strategies to improve nutritional management are associated with better outcomes in pediatric intensive care units. We implemented a calorie-based protocol that integrated an electronic feeds calculator and stepwise feeds increment algorithm.

Adherence to a Nurse-Driven Feeding Protocol in a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit

BACKGROUND

Patients admitted to pediatric intensive care units (PICUs) often experience prolonged periods without nutrition support, which may result in hospital-induced malnutrition and longer length of stay. Nurse-driven feeding protocols have been developed to prevent unnecessary interruptions or delays to nutrition support. The primary objective of this study was to identify compliance and reasons for noncompliance to a feeding protocol at a tertiary care hospital PICU in Canada. The secondary aim was to determine the mean time (hours) spent without any form of nutrition and to identify reasons for time spent without nutrition.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This was a prospective cohort audit, consisting of 150 consecutive PICU admissions (January-February 2016). Exclusion criteria consisted of patient mortality within 48 hours (n = 1) and patients who were still admitted at the end of the data collection timeframe (n = 7). The remaining cohort consisted of 142 consecutive admissions. Data collection took place in real time and included patient demographics, diagnostic categories, time spent without nutrition, reasons for interruptions to nutrition support, and reasons for noncompliance to the protocol. Observations were obtained through paper and computer charts and conversing with clinicians.

RESULTS

There was a 95% compliance rate to the protocol and an average of 25.6 hours spent without nutrition per patient. The most prevalent reason for noncompliance was an avoidable delay to restart feeds before/after procedures or after surgery.

CONCLUSIONS

A nurse-driven feeding protocol may reduce time spent without nutrition. Future research is required to examine the relationship between adherence to feeding protocols and clinical outcomes.

ASPEN Safe Practices for Enteral Nutrition Therapy [Formula: see text]

Enteral nutrition (EN) is a valuable clinical intervention for patients of all ages in a variety of care settings. Along with its many outcome benefits come the potential for adverse effects. These safety issues are the result of clinical complications and of process-related errors. The latter can occur at any step from patient assessment, prescribing, and order review, to product selection, labeling, and administration. To maximize the benefits of EN while minimizing adverse events requires that a systematic approach of care be in place. This includes open communication, standardization, and incorporation of best practices into the EN process. This document provides recommendations based on the available evidence and expert consensus for safe practices, across each step of the process, for all those involved in caring for patients receiving EN.

Impact of a nurse-led feeding protocol in a pediatric intensive care unit

Background:

To determine effectiveness of a nurse-led, volume-based feeding protocol in our pediatric intensive care unit (PICU), we evaluated patients’ nutrition adequacy pre- and post-protocol implementation.

Methods:

We conducted an observational study of patients admitted for more than three days in the PICU during pre- and post-feeding protocol periods. We recorded energy and protein intake and feed interruptions in patients started on enteral nutrition over the first seven days of admission. We excluded patients with septic shock requiring more than two inotropes, post-cardiac and post-gastrointestinal surgeries. To determine nutrition adequacy, actual energy and protein intakes were compared with calculated requirements, expressed as percentages.

Results:

We had a total of 40 patients (20 in the pre- and post-protocol groups, respectively) with median age of 9.4 (interquartile range (IQR) 2.8, 57) months. Median time to feed initiation was similar between groups (20.0 (IQR 17.0, 37.5) vs. 21.5 (IQR 10.5, 27.0) hours, p = 0.516). There was no difference in median energy (55 (IQR 12, 102) vs. 59 (IQR 25, 85) %, p = 0.645) and protein intake (53 (IQR 16, 124) vs. 73 (IQR 22, 137) %, p = 0.069) over the seven-day period between groups; the proportion of patients meeting their energy (10 vs. 35%, p = 0.127) and protein goal (15 vs. 30%, p = 0.451) by day three also did not differ significantly pre- and post-protocol implementation. The most common reasons for feed interruption were intubation/extubation and radiological procedures.

Conclusion:

Our current feeding protocol did not improve nutrient adequacy. The effectiveness of a more aggressive protocol in units where enteral nutrition is initiated within 24 hours should be investigated.

A Canadian survey of perceived barriers to initiation and continuation of enteral feeding in PICUs

OBJECTIVE

Clinicians believe nutrition support is important; however, delivery of enteral nutrition may be delayed or interrupted due to a lack of guidelines or perceived contraindications to administration. The aim of this national survey was to examine the knowledge and perceived barriers among clinicians which prevent enteral nutrition administration to PICU patients.

DESIGN

The survey consisted of 23 questions (19 primary and four branching). The survey was validated using a semistructured pilot test by three pediatric critical care intensivists and two pediatric critical care registered dietitians external to the study team.

SETTING

The survey was electronically distributed to clinicians in all PICUs across Canada.

POPULATION

One hundred sixty-two PICU clinicians, including 96 staff intensivists, eight clinical assistants, 36 fellows, and 22 registered dietitians from PICUs across Canada.

INTERVENTIONS

None.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

The survey was administered from January to March 2013. The response rate was 50% (55 staff intensivists, two clinical assistants, nine fellows, and 15 registered dietitians). There was high variability among clinicians regarding reasons to delay the onset of enteral nutrition or interrupt enteral nutrition administration. High variability (> 70% agreement and < 10% disagreement or vice versa) was found for some reasons to delay or interrupt enteral nutrition, including lactates (rising or > 2 or > 4 mmol/L), high gastric residual volumes, CT/MRI scans, and hypoplastic left heart syndrome. Sixty-eight percent of PICU clinicians reported no written feeding protocol to be in place.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, there is high variability among clinicians regarding acceptable procedural and clinical barriers to enteral nutrition administration; this may be improved by a standardized feeding protocol. Therefore, further research must be conducted to provide clinicians with evidence to support their practices for enteral nutrition administration.

Protocol-driven enteral nutrition in critically ill children: a systematic review

Enteral nutrition (EN) protocols are thought to improve clinical outcomes in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU); however, critical evaluation of their efficacy is limited. We conducted a systematic review with the aim of assessing the effect of EN protocols on important clinical outcomes in these children. We searched MEDLINE, Cochrane Database for Reviews, Embase, and CINAHL using predetermined keywords and MESH terms. We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies that involved EN protocols in children admitted to the PICU for >24 hours. We included studies that reported at least 1 of our outcomes of interest. Studies that exclusively studied premature neonates or adults were excluded. Primary outcomes were PICU or hospital mortality, PICU or hospital length of stay (LOS), duration of mechanical ventilation, gastrointestinal (GI) complications, and infective complications. Secondary outcomes were time to initiate feeds and time to achieve goal feeds. In total, we included 9 studies (total 1564 children) in our systematic review (1 RCT, 4 before-and-after studies, 1 single-arm cohort study, 1 prospective descriptive study, and 2 audits). There is low-level evidence that the use of EN protocols is associated with a reduction in GI and infective complications and improved timeliness of feed initiation and achievement of goal feeds. Current medical literature does not have compelling data on the effects of an EN protocol on clinical outcomes among critically ill children. Future clinical trials should look into using standardized interventions and outcome measures to strengthen the existing evidence.