Assessment of food intake in infants between 0 and 24 months with congenital heart disease.

Background: Children with congenital heart disease are usually malnourished and present some degree of functional and/or structural impairment of organs. There is also deficiency in nutrient intake, due to the control of fluids required by some patients which restrains the nutrient intake of some cardiac children.

Objective: To assess the food intake of children with congenital heart disease hospitalized in the pediatric heart unit of a "Public Teaching Hospital".

Subjective global assessment of nutritional status in cardiac patients.

Objective: To analyze the performance of Subjective Global Assessment of Nutritional Status (SGA) in diagnosing malnutrition in patients with heart disease.

Methods: One hundred and six hospitalized patients (53 with heart failure) completed an SGA questionnaire on their nutritional history (changes in body weight, dietary intake, gastrointestinal symptoms, functional capacity, and diagnosis) and underwent physical examination. Then, anthropometric measurements were obtained (body weight, mid-arm circumference, triceps skinfold thickness, and arm muscle circumference).