Indications and complications of inpatient parenteral nutrition prescribed to children in a large tertiary referral hospital

Table 1 Appropriate indications for PN in infants and children [6]

1	Infants aged 1 to 12 months: inability to achieve an adequate energy intake^a for more than 3 days
2	In children older than 1 year: inability to achieve an adequate energy intake^a for more than 5 days
3	Children not expected to meet an appropriate energy and nutrient intake for more than 7 days
4	Clinical condition leading to an absolute or relative contraindication to enteral nutrition^b
5	In children older than 1 year: duration of PN of at least 5 days except in undernourished children

^aadeguate energy intake defined as 60–80% of the Kcal for age [5]
^babsolute contraindications to enteral nutrition: paralytic or mechanical ileus, anatomical disruption of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, intestinal obstruction, necrotising enterocolitis, GI ischemia, diffuse peritonitis, bowel perforation or a state of severe shock [5, 16, 90]
Relative contraindications to enteral nutrition: gastro-intestinal bleeding, intractable diarrhea, enteric fistula, toxic megacolon, gastro-intestinal dysmotility, severe vomiting [5, 16, 90]

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