THE EFFECTS OF ILLNESS ON NEONATAL METABOLISM AND NUTRITIONAL MANAGEMENT

Nutritional management of acute and chronically ill neonates depends u pon understanding the effects of illness on their metabolism. The nutr ient requirements of infants with acute pulmonary disease, bronchopulm onary dysplasia, congenital heart disease, sepsis or intrauterine grow th retardation are substantially different from the requirements of th e physiologically stable, healthy infant. Appropriately tailored nutri ent delivery is an effective means of improving the survival and outco me of the premature or critically ill neonate; nevertheless, a great d eal more needs to be understood about the effects of illness on the me tabolism of the neonate in order to optimize nutritional therapy.