Nutrition in Pediatric Critical Care in Australia and New Zealand A Prospective Study of Children Up to 18 Years Old

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are conducting a multi-centre prospective cohort study to observe nutrition in paediatric critical care across Australia and New Zealand. This observational study runs alongside a similar adult ICU study called NUTRIENT, with two proposed study periods in late 2024 and 2026. The study aims to describe nutritional outcomes, patient-centered outcomes like duration of respiratory support and hospitalization, and nutrition service delivery in pediatric intensive care units PICU and ward settings. The study does not involve any intervention but monitors patients admitted to PICUs. It collects data on nutrition support routes such as oral, enteral, and parenteral feeding, along with energy and protein prescriptions and actual provision. Anthropometric measurements and multidisciplinary nutrition assessments are also recorded up to day 28 of hospitalization. The study periods occur at two separate times to gather comprehensive data. Participants are children up to 18 years old admitted to PICUs for more than 72 hours starting from the study period commencement day. Researchers will evaluate energy intake relative to estimated needs as the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes include protein intake, nutrition provision types, anthropometric z-scores, length of invasive ventilation, and duration of hospital and PICU stays. No treatments are administered instead, standard care continues while data is collected throughout hospital stays up to 28 days. The overall study duration spans the two periods in 2024 and 2026 with ongoing data monitoring.

Nutrition in Paediatric Critical Care