The features of nutritional status in children with congenital heart disease

Malnutrition is a common problem in children with congenital heart defects, regardless of the type of defect and the presence / absence of cyanosis. Children born with heart defects form a high-risk group of nutritional deficiency. Surgical treatment of congenital heart defects is often accompanied by metabolic changes and increased needs of energy and protein. Correction of nutritional status in children with congenital heart diseases improves the condition of patients after cardiac surgery. The purpose of our study was to assess the nutritional status of children with congenital heart defects hospitalized to the cardiac surgery department, and to correct their enteral nutrition. The authors analyzed anthropometric data on the Z-score (weight – age) of children admitted to the department for examination and correction of heart disease. The authors concluded that there is need for further studies to assess the impact of changes in nutritional status on the incidence and mortality of patients with congenital heart defects and the possibility of optimal correction of nutritional status.