Hospital-acquired undernutrition and associated factors in children and adolescents admitted to a tertiary care hospital.

BACKGROUND: The present study aimed to verify the proportion and factors associated with hospital-acquired malnutrition in the paediatric unit of a tertiary care hospital. METHODS: A retrospective study was carried out in a tertiary care hospital in the state of Maranhão, Brazil. Demographic and clinical data on children and adolescents were collected from medical records and the data regarding weight, height and z-scores of anthropometric indicators were obtained from the World Health Organization (WHO) Anthro® and WHO Anthro Plus® applications. Those with weight-for-height z-score (< 5 years) and a body mass index (BMI)/age z-score (≥ 5 years) < -2 SD at admission were considered to be malnourished. Patients who presented a decrease of > 0.25 SD between the z-score of BMI-for-age (BMIZ) at admission and at discharge were classified as having hospital-acquired malnutrition. Weight loss was also evaluated and was considered significant when it was > 2% between the weight measured at admission and the one before discharge. Logistic regression analysis was performed to verify the factors associated with hospital-acquired malnutrition. RESULTS: The median age was 4.7 years and the length of stay was 21 days; 26.8% of patients had significant weight loss during hospitalisation and a greater proportion had hospital-acquired malnutrition (34.9%). Gastroenteropathies, neuropathies and malnutrition on admission were significantly associated with hospital-acquired malnutrition. CONCLUSIONS: The occurrence of hospital-acquired malnutrition is still a problem in paediatric patients. Thus, providing adequate nutritional support from admission is essential when aiming to avoid deterioration of the nutritional status of paediatric patients during hospitalisation.

Prognostic nutritional index and mortality in children and adolescents underwent cardiac surgery / Índice nutricional prognóstico e mortalidade entre crianças e adolescentes submetidos à cirurgia cardíaca

Abstract Objectives: to analyze the prognostic nutritional index and factors associated with mortality in children and adolescents with heart disease who underwent cardiac surgery. Methods: this is a longitudinal, retrospective study that included 98 children and adolescents with heart disease from 0 to 14 years old, and assessed the prognostic nutritional index and nutritional status, through the body mass index for age, weight for height, weight for age and height for age. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed. Results: malnutrition was present in 27 patients, 68 were categorized as having a low prognostic nutritional index and 16 died. In the adjusted analysis, malnutrition (OR=4.11; CI95%=1.26-13.40; p=0.019), the low body mass index for age (OR=4.14; CI95%=1.26-13.61; p=0.019), low weight for height (OR=4.15; CI95%=1.29-13.35; p=0.017) and low weight for age (OR=5.20; CI95%=1.39-19.43; p=0.014) were associated with mortality. Conclusions: malnutrition, low body mass index for age, weight for height and weight for age had shown a significant association with mortality. Despite being an easily applicable indicator of nutritional status, the findings suggest no association between the prognostic nutritional index and mortality in patients with congenital heart disease after cardiac surgery.

Resumo Objetivos: analisar o índice nutricional prognóstico e os fatores associados a mortalidade em crianças e adolescentescardiopatas submetidas à cirurgia cardíaca. Métodos: estudo longitudinal, retrospectivo, que incluiu 98 crianças e adolescentes cardiopatas entre zero a 14 anos e avaliou o índice nutricional prognóstico e o estado nutricional, através dos indicadores índice de massa corporal para idade, peso para estatura, peso para idade e estatura para idade. Foi realizada análise de regressão logística múltipla. Resultados: a desnutrição esteve presente em 27 pacientes, 68 foram categorizados como baixo índice nutricional prognóstico e 16 foram a óbito. Na análise ajustada, a desnutrição (OR=4,11; IC95%=1,26-13,40; p=0,019), o baixo índice de massa corporal para idade (OR=4,14; IC95%=1,26-13,61; p=0,019), o baixo peso para estatura (OR=4,15; IC95%=1,29-13,35; p=0,017) e baixo peso para idade (OR=5,20; IC95%=1,39-19,43; p=0,014) apresentaram associação com a mortalidade. Conclusão: desnutrição, baixo índice de massa corporal para idade, peso para estatura e peso para idade mostraram associação significativa com a mortalidade. Apesar de ser um indicador do estado nutricional de fácil aplicação não foi observada associação do índice nutricional prognóstico com a mortalidade em pacientes com cardiopatias congênitas após cirurgia cardíaca.

Agreement between nutritional risk screening tools and anthropometry in hospitalized pediatric patients.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The use of malnutrition screening tools has been recommended to identify the risk of malnutrition among hospitalized children. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between the Screening Tool for Risk on Nutritional Status and Growth (STRONGkids), the Screening Tool for the Assessment of Malnutrition in Pediatrics (STAMP), and anthropometric nutritional parameters to identify malnutrition in hospitalized children. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Data recorded in the nutrition sector for 672 pediatric patients hospitalized between 2019 and 2020 were used to complete the STRONGkids and STAMP tools. To test for associations, the chi-square test or Fisher-Freeman-Halton Exact Test were employed, accepting a p-value <0.05 as the threshold for significance. To determine agreement, the Kappa coefficient was applied. RESULTS: Patients with a mean age of 5 years and 7 months were classified as at high nutritional risk by STRONGkids and STAMP in 10.1% (n = 68) and 24.3% (n = 163) of cases, respectively. A significant association (p < 0.05) was identified between all parameters studied for both tools. For STRONGkids, the chi-square test were as follows: BMI/Age, 69.707; Height/Age, 37.730; Weight/Age, 72.202; and Weight/Height, 60.595, whereas for STAMP, they were BMI/Age, 79.620; Height/Age, 75.246; Weight/Age, 91.034; and Weight/Height, 57.227. When compared, the two tools showed significant moderate agreement (κ = 0.448; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: STAMP classified a higher percentage of patients as being at high nutritional risk when compared with STRONGkids, and both tools had a significant association when compared with anthropometric parameters. Screening tools are easy to apply and can be used to identify the risk of malnutrition in this population.

Potenciais interações fármaco-nutriente em pacientes pediátricos de um Hospital Universitário / Potential nutrient-drug interactions in pediatric patients from a University Hospital

A interação fármaco-nutriente tem despertado interesse em pesquisa na área da nutrição a fim de evitar respostas indesejadas à terapia nutricional. Em crianças, a falha em proporcionar adequados nutrientes, pode trazer prejuízos tanto sobre o desenvolvimento ponderal quanto sobre o crescimento. Investigar as potenciais interações fármaco-nutriente que ocorrem em pacientes pediátricos hospitalizados. Estudo descritivo e transversal com amostragem não probabilística por conveniência. A pesquisa foi realizada por meio de consulta ao prontuário e de informações do serviço de nutrição do setor de pediatria do Hospital Universitário da Universidade Federal do Maranhão, na Unidade Materno Infantil, no período de agosto a novembro de 2018. Para a identificação das potenciais interações foram utilizados o site de interações medicamentosas e a literatura científica pertinente e literatura científica pertinente. Foi realizada a análise descritiva dos resultados, sendo apresentados por meio de porcentagens e distribuição de frequência das variáveis envolvidas. Foram verificadas as prescrições de 76 pacientes, com média de 28,3±37,2 meses. Destes, 50% eram do sexo masculino. A média de medicamentos prescritos por pessoa foi de5,98, configurando polifarmácia. Dentre os 76 indivíduos, em 60 (78,9%) foram observadas possíveis interações, sendo que um paciente apresentou cinco interações e quatro pacientes apresentaram quatro. Os resultados apresentados neste estudo reforçam a necessidade de pesquisasfuturas que poderão orientar a assistência ao paciente visando a padronização na administração de medicamentos simultaneamente à nutrição enteral para evitar interações fármaco-nutriente afim de se obter os resultados clínicos desejáveis.

The drug-nutrient interaction has aroused interest in research in the area of nutrition in order to avoid unwanted responses to nutritional therapy. In children, the failure to provide adequate nutrients can adversely affect both weight development and growth. To investigate the potential drug-nutrient interactions that occur in hospitalized pediatric patients. Descriptive and cross - sectional study with non - probabilistic sampling for convenience. The research was carried out by consulting the medical records and information of the nutrition service of the pediatrics sector of the University Hospital of the Federal University of Maranhão, in the Maternal and Child Unit, from August to November 2018. For the identification of potential interactions the website www.interacoesmedicamentosas.com.br and relevant scientific literature were used. A descriptive analysis of the results was performed, being presented by means of percentages and frequency distribution of the variables involved. The prescriptions of 76 patients were verified, with a mean of 28.3 ± 37.2 months. Of these, 50% were males. The mean number of prescriptions was 5.98. Among the 76 individuals, 60 (78.9%) observed possible interactions, and one patient presented five and four patients presented four. The results presented in this study reinforce the need for future research that may guide patient care aiming at the standardization of drug administration simultaneously to enteral nutrition to avoid drug-nutrient interactions in order to obtain the desired clinical results.