Abstract
Fourteen infants with congenital heart disease were investigated for failure to thrive. Assessment of intestinal function revealed minor absorptive abnormalities (mild steatorrhea in three patients, bile salt loss in four patients), delayed gastric emptying, and abnormal triglyceride loading tests. Low caloric intake (88.3 ± 19.3 kcal/kg/day) seemed the main reason for failure to gain weight. Weight accession and cardiorespiratory rates were monitored daily during voluntary intake, a high-caloric diet by mouth, and naso-gastric tube feeding. Providing 169 ± 29 kcal/kg/day by tube resulted in weight gain with mild and transient elevation of respiratory rate at the end of the meal and increased heart rate 90 min after the meal. This regimen is a meta-bolically inexpensive and efficient method of supporting weight gain in children with congenital heart disease.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 778-785 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition |
| Volume | 4 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Oct 1985 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Cardiorespiratory function
- Congenital heart disease
- High-caloric diet
- Intestinal function
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Pediatrics, Perinatology, and Child Health
- Gastroenterology
