An evaluation of enteral feeding practices in critically ill children.

Background: Establishing and sustaining enteral feeding in critically ill children is challenging and has met with many problems.

Aims And Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate (a) how actual calorie intake compared with estimated caloric requirements and (b) whether feeding guideline adherence resulted in improved nutritional intake.

Design And Methods: A prospective observational study was undertaken over 1 month in a tertiary referral paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) in the northwest of England.