Current opinion in clinical nutrition and metabolic care
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Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care · May 2009
ReviewChallenges of nutritional assessment in pediatric ICU.
The nutritional assessment of children in the pediatric ICU is unique in view of the metabolic changes of the underlying disease. This review addresses the use and limitations of anthropometry and laboratorial and body composition markers in the diagnosis of the nutritional status of such patients. ⋯ Nutritional assessment is one of the main aspects of the pediatric intensive care patient and is the most important tool to avoid hospital undernutrition. There is currently no gold standard for nutritional assessment in the pediatric ICU. The results of anthropometric and laboratory markers must be jointly analyzed, but individually interpreted according to disease and metabolic changes, in order to reach a correct diagnosis of the nutritional status and to plan and monitor the nutritional treatment.
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Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care · May 2009
ReviewSelenium supplementation in the critically ill: posology and pharmacokinetics.
To analyze current evidence for the posology and pharmacokinetics of selenium supplementation in the critically ill. ⋯ This review summarizes current knowledge on selenium supplementation in the critically ill. High-dose i.v. selenite as a bolus injection plus continuous infusion appears well tolerated and optimizes selenium plasma levels and antioxidant selenoenzymes activities. Additional investigations into the posology and pharmacokinetic profile of selenium are still required. Further studies should aim to demonstrate a definitive benefit of i.v. selenite, alone or in combination, on antioxidant capacity and mortality in the critically ill.