Abstract
Early initiation of enteral nutrition (EN) in pediatrics has been associated with improved clinical outcomes in critically ill pediatric patients. This research study aimed to measure the effect of early EN in intubated children on the length of stay (LOS) and days of mechanical ventilation (DMV). A retrospective cohort observational study was performed on patients admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). We gathered the information from available medical records. Our exposure variable was EN, which can be classified as either early-onset (less than 72 hours following PICU admission) or late-onset (greater than or equal to 72 hours following PICU admission). The response variables were LOS defined as the period of time from either hospital or PICU admission to the time of hospital discharge and DMV defined as the length of time from endotracheal intubation to successful extubation. Late EN was associated with an increase in both hospital LOS consisting of 9.82 days and PICU LOS consisting of 5.89 days, and DMV consisting of 3.92 days compared with those patients receiving early EN. In addition, the disruption of EN was also associated with an increased hospital LOS consisting of 10.7 days. Patients in the PICU, undergoing mechanical ventilation, who received late EN have an increased risk of unfavorable outcomes consisting of prolonged hospital LOS, PICU-LOS, and DMV which may be further aggravated by any disruption of EN.