Neonatal nutrition: Is it different post operatively?

Nutritional support is different in pediatric patients more so in neonatal surgical patients. Stress during and following surgery does not increase the metabolic requirements as significantly as in the case of children and adults. Postoperative enteral nutrition is gaining more and more importance as knowledge regarding the intestinal motility and hormonal secretion following surgery accumulate. Continuous versus intermittent bolus enteral feeds is still an area of investigation. Parenteral nutrition plays an important role especially in certain abdominal surgical conditions. Asepsis and maintenance of intravenous lines are vital issues in providing parenteral nutrition.