Nutritional Screening of Sick Neonates in NICU and its Relation to Short Term Outcome

Abstract

Background: Malnutrition during infancy has long-term adverse consequences for both physical and psychological development. Early detection of malnutrition among hospitalized infants is essential to provide optimal nutrition support. So neonatal nutritional assessment is very important and determines the daily energy and nutrient requirements for optimal growth and whether these nutritional goals are met. Aim of the Work: To assess the validity of Nutrition risk screening tools, and to stratify neonates admitted to the NICU according to their nutritional risk and correlate this to their outcome. Patients and Methods: This Cross sectional study was conducted in NICU at Ain Shams University Hospitals. All neonates in a set period of 6 months from December 2017 to June 2018 were enrolled in the study after written and verbal consent take from parents. Number of patients started with 200 and ended with 150. Results: There were statistically significant difference between the three studied risk groups as regard their gestational age, APGAR score and history of chronic illness of their mothers. There were statistically significant difference between the patients with different risk groups and the diagnosis of admission except urinary tract infection, transient tachypnea of newborn, intrauterine growth retardation, respiratory distress for investigations, blood group incompatibility and meconium aspiration syndrome shows no statistically significant difference with risk groups. Conclusion: It is important for the clinician to appreciate the specific nutrient requirements associated with various disease states and their therapies for example, in the ill newborn. Neonatal illnesses significantly alterenergy, protein and mineral metabolism in a disease-specific manners.