EVALUATION OF NUTRITIONAL THERAPY IN NEONATAL SURGICAL ICU OF A PEDIATRIC HOSPITAL IN SALVADOR — BAHIA

Abstract

Introduction: Nutritional therapy (NT) is o set of therapeutic procedures for maintenance or recovery of the patient's nutritional status. TN aims to prevent and treat malnutrition, prepare the patient for the surgical procedure, and improve the immune response. Objective: To analyze the effectiveness of nutritional therapy and the weight gain of infants admitted to a neonatal surgical intensive care unit (ICU) at a pediatric hospital in Salvador, Bahia. Material and Methods: A longitudinal, quantitative, observational and prospective study using data from the charts of neonates of both sexes admitted to the surgical ICU of a pediatric hospital in the city of Salvador, Bahia, from February to June 2018 Standard hospital and literature protocols were used to define dietary adequacy and weight gain. Results: The sample consisted of 59 patients with mean age of 35.75 ± 37 days, most of them male (72.9%). The adequacy between the prescribed and infused was 96.4% that reached at least 80% of the volume infused, 89% of the patients reached 100% of the prescribed. Only 3.6% reached a percentage lower than 80%. Patients in breast milk obtained an average weight gain of 173g, representing the highest among the patients studied. Conclusion: Neonates participating in the study presented an adequate percentage of diet infusion, and it is important to highlight the importance of breast milk for recovery and maintenance of nutritional status.