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Review
. 2022 Mar 26;11(7):1841.
doi: 10.3390/jcm11071841.

Current Strategies to Optimize Nutrition and Growth in Newborns and Infants with Congenital Heart Disease: A Narrative Review

Guglielmo Salvatori  1   2 , Domenico Umberto De Rose  1   3 , Anna Claudia Massolo  1   2 , Neil Patel  4 , Irma Capolupo  1   2 , Paola Giliberti  1   2 , Melania Evangelisti  5 , Pasquale Parisi  5 , Alessandra Toscano  6 , Andrea Dotta  1   2 , Giovanni Di Nardo  5
Affiliations
Review

Current Strategies to Optimize Nutrition and Growth in Newborns and Infants with Congenital Heart Disease: A Narrative Review

Guglielmo Salvatori et al. J Clin Med. .

Abstract

(1) Objective: This review aims to identify the clinical and practical barriers to optimizing nutrition in newborn infants with congenital heart disease (CHD) and to describe updated evidence-based recommendations for clinical and nutritional management of these patients in a narrative review. (2) Research Methods and Procedures: We conducted a search of the relevant literature published from 2000 to December 2021. (3) Results: CHD patients undergo several nutritional challenges related to the underlying cardiac disease anomaly, the potential increased risk of NEC, and delayed enteral feeding, resulting in inadequate energy intake and sub-optimal growth, increased morbidity and mortality. (4) Conclusions: To optimize nutrition and growth in newborn infants with CHD, standardized protocols should be implemented. Regular nutritional and growth assessment with a multi-disciplinary team is essential. We propose a decisional algorithm that may represent a potentially useful tool to guide clinicians to optimize growth and nutrition.

Keywords: congenital heart disease; enteral feed; growth; necrotizing enterocolitis; nutrition; parenteral nutrition.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Growth failure mechanisms in congenital heart disease.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Proposed algorithm to optimize nutrition in newborn infants with congenital heart diseases. MV, mechanical ventilation; VLBW, very low birth weight; PIP, positive inspiratory pressure; MEF, minimal enteral feeding; PN, parenteral nutrition.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Target energy intake and growth aims in newborn infants with congenital heart diseases. GA, gestational age; OG, orogastric; MEF, minimal enteral feeding; NEC, necrotizing enterocolitis; NG, nasogastric.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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