Enteral feeding initiation and feeding practices in pediatric traumatic brain injury patients admitted to the neurotrauma intensive care unit.

OBJECTIVE

The role of timely nutritional support in the recovery of pediatric traumatic brain injury (PTBI) patients is crucial yet underexplored. The authors planned a retrospective study to investigate the timing of feeding initiation (early feeding [≤ 48 hours] or delayed feeding [> 48 hours]), feeding pattern, and causes of feeding delay/interruption in this cohort and studied the association of delayed feeding with outcomes in PTBI from a single center in a lower-middle-income country.

METHODS

This retrospective, single-center study included PTBI patients ≤ 15 years of age admitted to the neurotrauma intensive care unit (NICU) within 24 hours of head injury over a period of 1 year. Demographic data, injury characteristics, and nutritional data were recorded from hospital electronic records. The outcome was measured in terms of NICU length of stay (LOS) and hospital LOS, infectious complications, neurological recovery at discharge, and mortality.

RESULTS

One hundred PTBI patients were included, with mild (n = 28, 28%), moderate (n = 28, 28%), and severe (n = 44, 44%) traumatic brain injury (TBI). Patients had a median Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score of 9 (IQR 7, 13) at admission. Enteral nutrition was initiated early in 48% (n = 48) of patients. Only 39 of 100 patients reached 70% of their caloric target within 7 days. Causes of feeding interruption were planned surgical/radiological and airway procedures (n = 89, 59.0%), feed intolerance (n = 25, 16.6%), feed refusal (n = 22, 14.6%), and hemodynamic instability (n = 15, 9.9%). Early initiation of enteral feeding was positively associated with reduced NICU LOS (r = 0.25) and overall hospital LOS (r = 0.33). Patients receiving early nutrition had a shorter hospital LOS (5.5 vs 10 days, p = 0.043) and higher GCS score at discharge (15 vs 13, p = 0.002). In mild TBI cases, early feeding significantly reduced NICU (2.5 vs 7.5 days, p = 0.01) and hospital (3.5 vs 13 days, p = 0.002) LOSs and improved discharge GCS score (15 vs 14.5, p = 0.02). These benefits were not observed in moderate or severe TBI patients. In multivariate analysis, undergoing neurosurgery influenced hospital LOS and discharge GCS score, and admission GCS score predicted mortality. The in-hospital mortality rate was 17%.

CONCLUSIONS

Early enteral feeding was initiated in 48% of PTBI patients. Common delays/interruptions were due to planned procedures. Early enteral feeding was associated with shorter NICU and hospital LOSs. However, a definite association of early enteral feeding with improved neurological outcomes could not be established.