الفهرس 
Introduction and aim of the workOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Careful attention must be done to the nutritional status and metabolic needs of critically ill infants and children as this leads to better outcome and short stay in the intensive care unit. Provision of calories and proteins reduces the catabloism that accompanies the critical illness. Depletion of protein and energy stores results in a characteristic pattern of physiologic dysfunctions that may severely affect the critically ill child body systems e.g., the immune system, the respiratory system, the cardiovascular system, etc., and thus aggravates the symptomatology of critical illness. Although there are many methods for nutritional assessment clinical judgement is the best one. Nutrition support starts with an estimation of energy requirements for metabolic purposes and tissue repair. The most accurate methods are the metabolic cart and indirect calorimetr~ . Nutrition support in the intensive care unit should be started as soon as stable according to the gut function. Patients with functioning gut should be fed via the enteral route. , Total parenteral nutrition can provide nutritional as well as metabolic support for the critically ill patients ”hen the enteral route is not available or provide insufficient caloric needs.