Acute Care Faculty Series: How to Select an Enteral Formula and Start Feeds (S11 Ep. 76)

Welcome to The Peds NP Acute Care Faculty series! This series was created and peer-edited by national leaders in acute care PNP education collaborating with one another to meet the needs of our future colleagues. In the push for competency-based education where faculty verify the skills of what a student can do, rather than their knowledge, our series focuses on the application of didactic content with a practical approach so that you can learn nuances of clinical skills before you reach the bedside. 

 

*This is the second episode in a 2 part series on enteral feeding. Listen to Episode 75: Malnutrition and Feeding Tube Selection first.

 

This episode walks through the decision-making for which enteral formula to select based on the patient's age, protein needs, and GI function. A list of commercially available examples is listed for each age group and protein type. Fluid and caloric goals are discussed to determine if concentrated formulas are appropriate. Lastly, the process of starting continuous feeds and advancing to bolus feeds while assessing for tolerance is reviewed. Build functional skills by following along with a case study that is continued from the prior episode. It's proof that there's more than just formula that goes into tube feedings.

 

Authors: Becky Carson, DNP, APRN, CPNP-PC/AC, Jessica D. Murphy, DNP, CPNP-AC, CPHON, CNE, & Marian Malone, DNP, APRN, CPNP-AC/PC

 

References:

Bechtold, M. L., Brown, P. M., Escuro, A., Grenda, B., Johnston, T., Kozeniecki, M., Limketkai, B. N., Nelson, K. K., Powers, J., Ronan, A., Schober, N., Strang, B. J., Swartz, C., Turner, J., Tweel, L., Walker, R., Epp, L., & Malone, A. (2022). When is enteral nutrition indicated? Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition, 46(7), 1470–1496. https://doi.org/10.1002/jpen.2364

Becker, P., Carney, L. N., Corkins, M. R., Monczka, J., Smith, E., Smith, S. E., Spear, B. A., & White, J. V. (2014). Consensus statement of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics/American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition. Nutrition in Clinical Practice, 30(1), 147–161. https://doi.org/10.1177/0884533614557642

Green Corkins, K. (2015). Nutrition‐focused physical examination in pediatric patients. Nutrition in Clinical Practice, 30(2), 203–209. https://doi.org/10.1177/0884533615572654

Hess, L., & Crossen, J. (2008). Pediatric Nutrition Handbook (3rd ed.). Cincinnati Children’s.

Mehta, N. M., Skillman, H. E., Irving, S. Y., Coss-Bu, J. A., Vermilyea, S., Farrington, E. A., McKeever, L., Hall, A. M., Goday, P. S., & Braunschweig, C. (2017). Guidelines for the provision and assessment of Nutrition Support Therapy in the pediatric critically ill patient: Society of Critical Care Medicine and American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition. Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, 18(7), 675–715. https://doi.org/10.1097/pcc.0000000000001134

Panchal, A. K., Manzi, J., Connolly, S., Christensen, M., Wakeham, M., Goday, P. S., & Mikhailov, T. A. (2014). Safety of enteral feedings in critically ill children receiving vasoactive agents. Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition, 40(2), 236–241. https://doi.org/10.1177/0148607114546533

Yi, Dae Young. (2018). Enteral nutrition in pediatric patients. Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition, 21(1), 12-19. http://doi.org/10.5223/pghn.2018.21.1.12