title: Association between nutritional status and outcomes in critically-ill pediatric patients - a systematic review.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To systematically review the evidence about the impact of nutritional status in critically-ill pediatric patients on the following outcomes during hospitalization in pediatric intensive care units: length of hospital stay, need for mechanical ventilation, and mortality.
  
  
  METHODS
  The search was carried out in the following databases: Lilacs (Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences), MEDLINE (National Library of Medicine United States) and Embase (Elsevier Database). No filters were selected.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of seven relevant articles about the subject were included. The publication period was between 1982 and 2012. All articles assessed the nutritional status of patients on admission at pediatric intensive care units and correlated it to at least one assessed outcome. A methodological quality questionnaire created by the authors was applied, which was based on some references and the researchers' experience. All included studies met the quality criteria, but only four met all the items.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The studies included in this review suggest that nutritional depletion is associated with worse outcomes in pediatric intensive care units. However, studies are scarce and those existing show no methodological homogeneity, especially regarding nutritional status assessment and classification methods. Contemporary and well-designed studies are needed in order to properly assess the association between children's nutritional status and its impact on outcomes of these patients.
authors: Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUC-RS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil; Postgraduate Program in Pediatrics and Children's Health, Hospital São Lucas, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUC-RS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. Electronic address: carolabuddrumond@gmail.com.
authors: Caroline A D
authors: CA
authors: Costa
authors: Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUC-RS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil; Postgraduate Program in Pediatrics and Children's Health, Hospital São Lucas, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUC-RS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors: Cristian T
authors: CT
authors: Tonial
authors: Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUC-RS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil; Postgraduate Program in Pediatrics and Children's Health, Hospital São Lucas, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUC-RS), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors: Pedro Celiny R
authors: PC
authors: Garcia
mesh_terms: D016638:Critical Illness / Q000401:mortality*; D006801:Humans; D015278:Intensive Care Units, Pediatric / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009752:Nutritional Status; D012121:Respiration, Artificial
keywords: Estado nutricional; Length of stay; Mechanical ventilation; Mortalidade; Mortality; Nutritional status; Pediatric intensive care unit; Tempo de internação; Unidade de Terapia Intensiva Pediátrica; Ventilação mecânica