ABSTRACT

Optimal pediatric care and the delivery of appropriate Specialized nutrition support requires the application of evidence-based practice guidelines to assist clinicians in the development of nutrition care plans for their patients. A comprehensive nutrition care plan includes individual nutrient requirements, intake goals, and objectives for nutritional care as well as the route of nutrition administration. Age-appropriate growth is a primary indicator of nutrition status in children. The route selected for delivery of nutrition must be determined by the patient’s medical condition and disease process. Enteral nutrition via gastric or intestinal direct access supplies nutrients distal to the oral cavity via a tube, catheter, or stoma. Bolus feeds can be given in a relatively rapid manner through the gastric route which provides both near-normal physiologic accesses to nutrition as well as flexibility in the patient’s schedule to receive nutrition. Specific laboratory data will be needed in nutrition management, including serum electrolytes, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, and triglyceride levels.