Considerations for nutrition support in critically ill children with COVID-19 and paediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome temporally associated with COVID-19

Clin Nutr. 2021 Mar;40(3):895-900. doi: 10.1016/j.clnu.2020.10.007. Epub 2020 Oct 12.

Abstract

There are reports of children COVID-19 or COVID-19 like symptoms with hyperinflammatory multisystem syndrome, ARDS, gastrointestinal and atypical Kawasaki disease presenting to PICU worldwide temporally associated with COVID-19, for which there are important nutrition support considerations. As a result, the European Society of Pediatric and Neonatal Intensive Care - Metabolism, Endocrine and Nutrition group (ESPNIC-MEN) and paediatric nutritionists working in PICUs are being consulted regarding nutrition management of critically ill children with COVID-19 or COVID-19 like symptoms. Therefore, the aim of this short report is to provide a summary of nutrition support recommendations for critically ill children with COVID-19. They are based on the ESPNIC-MEN section recommendations published in January 2020 and surviving sepsis recommendations from February 2020.

Keywords: COVID-19; Critically ill children; Enteral feeding; Nutrition; Paediatric intensive care.

MeSH terms

  • COVID-19 / therapy*
  • Child
  • Critical Care / methods
  • Critical Illness
  • Enteral Nutrition / methods
  • Humans
  • Intensive Care Units, Pediatric
  • Nutritional Status
  • Nutritional Support / methods*
  • SARS-CoV-2*
  • Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome / therapy*

Supplementary concepts

  • pediatric multisystem inflammatory disease, COVID-19 related