RESUMO
In a prospective study, the nutritional status was evaluated in 46 consecutive admissions to a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, using anthropometric parameters. About 65 of the patients presented malnutrition on admission, with predominance of the chronic form. The mortality rate was greater in the malnourished (20 versus 12.5) and chronic malnutrition was associated with a higher incidence of infection (42). There was a fall in channel of percentile for weight-for-height in 36 of the patients evaluated at the final follow up. These results suggest that a significant number of patients are at nutritional risk at the time of hospital admission, and there is an association between nutritional status and hospital course. The anthropometric nutritional evaluation is a simple an reproducible method, and a valuable parameter for an objective nutritional assessment of the critically ill child. Therefore, it should be performed on admission and follow up of hospitalized children.