Evidence · Systematic review or meta-analysis
Continuous versus Intermittent Enteral Feeding in Critically Ill Children: A Systematic Review.
- Gastrointestinal and nutrition
- Medical
- Nursing
- Nutrition
Summary
A systematic review of randomised trials comparing continuous with intermittent bolus enteral feeding in critically ill children in PICU. Four RCTs with 288 patients were included, most at high risk of bias and with marked heterogeneity in outcome reporting. Findings on time to reach prescribed caloric intake were conflicting, PICU length of stay did not differ, and one study favoured bolus feeding for time to wean from ventilation; no data were available on gastric residual volume, anthropometry or biochemical markers. The authors conclude better-quality trials are required to guide choice of feeding regimen.
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- Licence:
- Open (Creative Commons)
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