Large scale nutritional status assessment in pediatric hospitals

Association of handgrip strength with nutritional status and clinical outcomes in hospitalized pediatric patients

BACKGROUND & AIMS

Malnutrition in children and adolescents is prevalent at hospital admission and the incidence increases with length of stay. Malnourished patients have loss of muscle mass and strength, compromising their functionality. Handgrip strength (HGS) is a nutritional marker understudied in pediatrics although it is capable of detecting nutritional deprivation before changes in body composition are observed. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the association between reduced HGS at hospital admission, compromised nutritional status and worse clinical outcomes of pediatric patients.

METHODS

Cohort study conducted with patients aged 6-18 years admitted to a pediatric ward. Nutritional status was assessed in the first 48 h of hospital admission using the z-score of height for age (H/A) and body mass index for age (BMI/A), percentile of mid-arm muscle circumference for age (MAMC/A) and the pediatric global subjective nutritional assessment (SGNA). HGS was measured using a digital dynamometer and considered reduced when the maximum value of three measurements was below the 5th percentile for sex and age. The clinical outcomes analyzed were length of hospital stay and frequency of readmission within 3 months after hospital discharge.

RESULTS

A total of 135 patients were evaluated (median age 10.9 years, 55.6% male) and 17.8% had reduced HGS. Patients with reduced HGS had lower H/A z-score (-0.50 vs 0.22, p = 0.012) and a higher frequency of reduced MAMC when compared to those with normal HGS (8% vs 13%, p = 0.007). Reduced HGS was not associated with malnutrition (OR = 0.63; 95%CI 0.23-1.77), prolonged hospital stay (OR = 1.89; 95%CI 0.72-4.92) or readmission to hospital 3 months after hospital discharge (OR = 1.82; 95%CI 0.67-4.93), in a model adjusted for the clinical condition.

CONCLUSION

Reduced HGS was not a predictor of malnutrition and clinical outcomes. However, it was associated with lower H/A Z-score and MAMC/A percentile values and can be used as a complementary measure in the nutritional status assessment of hospitalized pediatric patients.

Impact of the HAS 2019 French guidelines on the frequency of hospital undernutrition in children

In 2019, the French National Authority for Health (Haute Autorité de Santé, HAS) published guidelines on the diagnosis of undernutrition. The present article focuses on the impact of switching from the 2012 guidelines of the Nutrition Committee of the French Paediatric Society (CNSFP) to the HAS guidelines on the frequency of hospital undernutrition in children. We selected for the period 2010-2019 from the ePINUT database: (1) all children aged more than 2 years with (2) clinically confirmed nutritional status in (3) French sites. The frequency of undernutrition was 15.4% vs. 28.8% using the CNSFP and HAS criteria, respectively (p < 0.01; n = 6304). When compared to non-malnourished children regardless of the criteria used, malnourished children: (1) stayed longer in hospital (CNSFP: 9.0 ± 11.8 vs. 6.5 ± 8.7 days, p < 0.01; HAS: 7.8 ± 10.1 vs. 6.4 ± 8.4 days, p < 0.01), (2) gained more weight during hospitalization (% of weight at admission) (CNSFP: +1.4 ± 4.1 vs. -0.3 ± 3.5%, p < 0.01; HAS: +2.3 ± 4.7 vs. -0.1 ± 3.4%, p < 0.01), and (3) received nutritional support more frequently during hospitalization (CNSFP: 20% vs. 5%, p < 0.01; HAS: 13% vs. 4%, p < 0.01). Switching to the HAS guidelines resulted in an almost twofold higher frequency of undernutrition in hospitalized children. Initiation of nutritional care remained low considering the nutritional status. The present study warrants interventional studies to determine which children may benefit more from nutritional therapy to improve their outcome.

A Practical Approach to Identifying Pediatric Disease-Associated Undernutrition: A Position Statement from the ESPGHAN Special Interest Group on Clinical Malnutrition

ABSTRACT

Disease-associated undernutrition (DAU) is still common in hospitalized children and is generally accepted to be associated with adverse effects on disease outcomes; hence making proper identification and assessment essential in the management of the sick child. There are however several barriers to routine screening, assessment, and treatment of sick children with poor nutritional status or DAU, including limited resources, lack of nutritional awareness, and lack of agreed nutrition policies. We recommend all pediatric facilities to 1) implement procedures for identification of children with (risk of) DAU, including nutritional screening, criteria for further assessment to establish diagnosis of DAU, and follow-up, 2) assess weight and height in all children asa minimum, and 3) have the opportunity for children at risk to be assessed by a hospital dietitian. An updated descriptive definition of pediatric DAU is proposed as "Undernutrition is a condition resulting from imbalanced nutrition or abnormal utilization of nutrients which causes clinically meaningful adverse effects on tissue function and/or body size/composition with subsequent impact on health outcomes." To facilitate comparison of undernutrition data, it is advised that in addition to commonly used criteria for undernutrition such as z score < -2 for weight-for-age, weight-for-length, or body mass index <-2, an unintentional decline of >1inthese z scores over time should be considered as an indicator requiring further assessment to establish DAU diagnosis. Since the etiology of DAU is multifactorial, clinical evaluation and anthropometry should ideally be complemented by measurements of body composition, assessment of nutritional intake, requirements, and losses, and considering disease specific factors.

Weight-for-height Z-score improves in half of undernourished children hospitalized in surgical wards

BACKGROUND

Overall, 10-15% of hospitalized children are undernourished. The present study focuses on pediatric surgical wards. We assessed the impact of undernutrition upon admission on the weight-for-height Z-score (Z-WFH) during hospitalization for surgery. Secondary aims were to investigate the influence of associated factors and to report on the use of nutritional support.

METHODS

All children hospitalized for a surgical procedure between July 2015 and March 2016 were included in this monocentric, prospective study. Children were divided into two groups: whether the Z-WFH upon admission was below -2 standard deviations (undernourished) or not (not undernourished).

RESULTS

A total of 161 of 278 eligible children were included; 27 were undernourished (17%). The change in Z-WFH during hospitalization was greater in undernourished children (0.31±0.11 vs. -0.05±0.05, P=0.005). Of undernourished children, 49% recovered a Z-WFH above -2 SD during hospitalization. There was no difference between undernourished children and not undernourished children regarding age, length of hospital stay, pre- and post-operative duration of nil per os, duration of surgical procedure, ASA score, emergency level of the surgical procedure, and enteral/parenteral nutrition.

CONCLUSION

Our data suggest that the Z-WFH of undernourished children upon admission improved during hospitalization.

Revisión sistemática y análisis comparativo de las herramientas de tamizaje nutricional en pediatría validadas en Europa y Canadá

Introducción. El tamizaje nutricional es una herramienta efectiva que permite establecer el riesgo de desnutrición hospitalaria, por consiguiente es importante revisar las directrices respecto a su uso en pediatría.Objetivo. Ofrecer recomendaciones sobre el uso de las herramientas de tamizaje nutricional validadas en Canadá y Europa en población colombiana. Materiales y métodos. Se realizó una revisión sistemática siguiendo la metodología PRISMA. Para la evaluación de la calidad de la evidencia se utilizó la herramienta U.S Preventive Services Task Force, formulada para medir acciones preventivas por la Canadian Task Force on the Periodic Health Examination.Resultados. Se incluyeron 15 estudios que cumplían los criterios de selección y se identificaron 7 herramientas (PYMS, iPYMS, PeDiSMART, PNR, STAMP, PMST y STRONGkids). Según los lineamientos de la Sociedad Europea de Nutrición Clínica y Metabolismo, la PYMS, la iPYMS y la STRONGkids evalúan simultáneamente variables pronósticas como estado nutricional actual, estabilidad, progresión esperada e influencia de la enfermedad. En cuanto a validez concurrente, el análisis de datos muestra que la PYMS, la iPYMS y la PMST tienen sensibilidades >85% y que la PYMS tiene especificidad >85%. Respecto a reproducibilidad, la PEDISMART, la STRONGkids, la STAMP y la PYMS tienen una concordancia inter-observadores aceptable (k>0.41).Conclusión. Según la evidencia analizada en términos de variables pronósticas, validez concurrente y reproducibilidad, se sugiere el empleo en la práctica clínica de la herramienta PYMS, mientras que para el uso de la STAMP y la iPYMS las instituciones deben evaluar su aplicabilidad.

Prevalence of Malnutrition in Pediatric Hospitals in Developed and In-Transition Countries: The Impact of Hospital Practices

Presently, undernutrition still goes undetected in pediatric hospitals despite its association with poor clinical outcomes and increased annual hospital costs, thus affecting both the patient and the health care system. The reported prevalence of undernutrition in pediatric patients seeking care or hospitalized varies considerably, ranging from 2.5 to 51%. This disparity is mostly due to the diversity of the origin of populations studied, methods used to detect and assess nutritional status, as well as the lack of consensus for defining pediatric undernutrition. The prevalence among inpatients is likely to be higher than that observed for the community at large, since malnourished children are likely to have a pre-existent disease or to develop medical complications. Meanwhile, growing evidence indicates that the nutritional status of sick children deteriorates during the course of hospitalization. Moreover, the absence of systematic nutritional screening in this environment may lead to an underestimation of this condition. The present review aims to critically discuss studies documenting the prevalence of malnutrition in pediatric hospitals in developed and in-transition countries and identifying hospital practices that may jeopardize the nutritional status of hospitalized children.

Evaluation of nutritional care of hospitalized children in a tertiary pediatric hospital

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Hospitalized children are at risk of malnutrition. The aim of the present study was to evaluate a clinical practice in a tertiary hospital. The nutritional team developed a specific software for screening of malnutrition and risk of malnutrition (Evalnut) that provides also recommendations for the nutritional management of the patient. The data recorded into this program and the tool itself were analyzed and optimizations are highlighted.

METHODS

A retrospective study analyzed the data collected in 2015 during 4931 consecutive hospitalizations (3984 children) at the University Children's Hospital Queen Fabiola. Pivot tables analysis (Excel) of the database of the screening tool was compared with the clinical practice of the dietitians. First data processing excluded records with abnormal or missing values. Impact of nutritional care analysis needs at least 2 evaluations and a positive patient's height trend. In case of height equality, only length of hospital stays less than 2 weeks were kept.

RESULTS

This study highlighted inaccurate database records related to imperfections of the computer program, missing or erroneous measures and incomplete encoding. First analysis on 3219 valid hospitalizations showed statistical correlations. Prevalence of malnutrition on admission was 33%, split into 14,5% acute malnutrition, 15% chronic malnutrition and 3,5% mixed malnutrition. Overall, 30,3% of the children were categorized at risk of developing malnutrition during their stay. Positive impact of nutritional management on the resulting nutritional status was demonstrated on the second data selection (352 hospitalizations): WFH median (interquartile range) increased from 96,1% (87,1-106,4) on admission to 96,9% (89,1-106,1) (p < 0,01) on discharge. An optimization of the existing software was finally proposed.

CONCLUSION

In our hospital, the dietitians are the most aware on the importance of nutritional assessment and management during hospitalization. Encouraging results are obtained. Inclusion of a nutritional program in the medical file is useful to raise interest amongst caregivers and is particularly valuable for the nutritional follow up of the patients by the nutrition team.

Proposal for An Algorithm for Screening for Undernutrition in Hospitalized Children

The prevalence of disease-related undernutrition in hospitalized children has not decreased significantly in the last decades in Europe. A recent large multicentric European study reported a percentage of underweight children ranging across countries from 4.0% to 9.3%. Nutritional screening has been put forward as a strategy to detect and prevent undernutrition in hospitalized children. It allows timely implementation of adequate nutritional support and prevents further nutritional deterioration of hospitalized children. In this article, a hands-on practical guideline for the implementation of a nutritional care program in hospitalized children is provided. The difference between nutritional status (anthropometry with or without additional technical investigations) at admission and nutritional risk (the risk of the need for a nutritional intervention or the risk for nutritional deterioration during hospital stay) is the focus of this article. Based on the quality control circle principle of Deming, a nutritional care algorithm, with detailed instructions specific for the pediatric population was developed and implementation in daily practice is proposed. Further research is required to prove the applicability and the merit of this algorithm. It can, however, serve as a basis to provide European or even wider guidelines.

[Nutritional assessment in hospitalized children in a Paediatric service]

INTRODUCTION

Malnutrition in hospitalized children is associated with increased morbidity and mortality.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the nutritional status in children admitted to the Hospital Clínico de la Universidad Católica de Chile.

PATIENTS AND METHOD

A retrospective, cross-sectional study was conducted on hospital patients less than 17 years old within the period from November 2010 to April 2011. A record was made of the demographic data, admission diagnosis, biochemistry results (albumin, haemoglobin, haematocrit), hospital stay, and anthropometry data. Nutritional diagnosis was expressed as standard deviation (SD) for weight-for-height (WFH) by WHO in children younger than 5 y, and body mass index (BMI) by CDC-NCHS in older children. Height-for-age (HFA) ≤-2SD indicated stunted growth.

RESULTS

A total of 365 children, including 201 boys (55.1%), were evaluated. The median age was 3.35 years (IQR: 1.2-8.2). The most frequent reason for admission was heart disease (30.4%). The median hospital stay was 2 days (IQR: 2.0-4.0). Undernutrition was observed in 3.3% of the children, 8% were nutritionally at risk, 15% were overweight, and 10.9% were obese. As regards HFA, short stature was reported in 12.9%. There was a significant relationship between lower age and heart disease, and higher age with gastrointestinal and neurological diseases. By ordinal logistic regression for each year of age, the weight/height ratio (ZP/T) increases by 6.9% (OR=1.07). The biochemistry results (albumin, haemoglobin and haematocrit levels) were not associated with nutritional status.

CONCLUSIONS

A high percentage of children at risk of undernutrition was found. The percentage overweight was similar to the general Chilean paediatric population. Early detection will allow an opportune intervention, and nutritional monitoring at discharge.

Malnutrition in Hospitalized Pediatric Patients: Assessment, Prevalence, and Association to Adverse Outcomes

Malnutrition is a frequent finding in pediatric health care settings in the form of undernutrition or excess body weight. Its increasing prevalence and impact on overall health status, which is reflected in the adverse outcomes, renders imperative the application of commonly accepted and evidence-based practices and tools by health care providers. Nutrition risk screening on admission and nutrition status evaluation are key points during clinical management of hospitalized pediatric patients, in order to prevent health deterioration that can lead to serious complications and growth consequences. In addition, anthropometric data based on commonly accepted universal growth standards can give accurate results for nutrition status. Both nutrition risk screening and nutrition status assessment are techniques that should be routinely implemented, based on commonly accepted growth standards and methodology, and linked to clinical outcomes. The aim of the present review was to address the issue of hospital malnutrition in pediatric settings in terms of prevalence, outline nutrition status evaluation and nutrition screening process using different criteria and available tools, and present its relationship with outcome measures. Key teaching points • Malnutrition-underweight or excess body weight-is a frequent imbalance in pediatric settings that affects physical growth and results in undesirable clinical outcomes. • Anthropometry interpretation through growth charts and nutrition screening are cornerstones for the assessment of malnutrition.To date no commonly accepted anthropometric criteria or nutrition screening tools are used in hospitalized pediatric patients. • Commonly accepted nutrition status and screening processes based on the World Health Organization's growth standards can contribute to the overall hospital nutrition care of pediatric patients.

Back to basics: an audit of measurement of infant growth at presentation to hospital

Objectives Infants who present or are admitted to hospital with illness or with inadequate growth and development are those most at risk of decreased nutritional status. However, not all infants who present or are admitted to hospital have their growth assessed. The aim of the present study was to identify how frequently anthropometric measurements were documented in charts of infants presenting and/or admitted to a tertiary paediatric hospital. Methods A systematic random sample of hospital charts of infants who had presented to the emergency department between 1 July 2011 and 30 June 2012 was audited retrospectively for the presence of appropriate documentation of measurement. Results In all, 465 charts were audited, representing 10% of infants who presented to the emergency department in the year. The frequency of anthropometric measures was: birthweight 103 (22%), presentation weight 275 (59%), length 8 (2%), head circumference 15 (3%), percentiles 27 (6%) and body mass index score 1 (0%). Age of the infant was significantly associated with recording of birthweight. There were no significant relationships found between gender, socioeconomic status, gestational age, delivery type and recording of diagnosis and birthweight. Conclusions Infant measurements were not recorded on many occasions. Assessment of growth as a marker of illness or nutritional deficit has been poorly assessed in this group. This is a missed opportunity to assess infant growth in this population, which has been found to be at risk of decreased nutritional status. Identification and treatment of growth deficits are a cost-effective method of optimising infant health worldwide. What is known about this topic? Infants who present or are admitted to hospital with illness or with inadequate growth and development are those most at risk of decreased nutritional status. What does this paper add? Not all infants who present or are admitted to hospital have their growth assessed. What are the implications for practitioners? It is important in a paediatric setting to identify who is responsible for measuring and recording infant growth. Measurement of weight, height and head circumference is a basic, low-cost method of measuring infant growth in the hospital setting.