Feeding the infant with congenital heart disease in PICU

Adequate nutrition is vital in children with congenital heart disease. The fear of feeding these children are rooted from concomitant prostaglandin infusion; single ventricle physiology; gut ischaemia.

Evidence suggests that feeding high risk infants is best done with a protocol. Some studies suggest that high energy enteral feeding post-cardiac surgery results to lower infection rate and shorter length of PICU stay.