Impact of early enteral nutrition in critically ill children: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

Abstract Background This study aims to evaluate the impact of early enteral nutrition (EEN) compared with late enteral nutrition on clinical outcomes in critically ill children. Methods PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library were systematically searched until December 2024. The primary outcome was all‐cause mortality, with secondary outcomes including duration of mechanical ventilation and length of stay in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) and hospital. The meta‐analysis used a random‐effects model with inverse variance weighting. Results Twenty‐one studies (10,006 children) were included. Definitions of EEN varied across studies, ranging from 24 to 72 h. EEN was associated with decreased mortality in both randomized controlled trials (RCTs) (odds ratio [OR] = 0.64; 95% CI, 0.43–0.96; P = 0.03) and observational studies (OR = 0.38; 95% CI, 0.23–0.62; P < 0.001). A sensitivity analysis was conducted by combining studies with similar EEN definitions. EEN initiated within 24 h of PICU admission was not significantly associated with mortality (OR = 0.72; 95% CI, 0.43–1.20; P = 0.21). However, EEN within 48 h was significantly associated with reduced mortality (OR = 0.37; 95% CI, 0.25–0.56; P < 0.001). The certainty of evidence (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation) from RCTs was evaluated as low, whereas that from observational studies was evaluated as very low. Conclusion The evidence from this study suggests that EEN benefits critically ill children by reducing mortality and shortening hospital stays. However, the high risk of bias and very low certainty of the evidence highlight the need for further research.