Nutritional status of children with congenital heart disease.

OBJECTIVE to characterize nutritional status and variables that predict nutritional changes in children with congenital heart disease. METHOD a cross-sectional study undertaken in two health institutions between January and June 2009, using a questionnaire with questions about nutrition, applied to 132 children under two years of age who had congenital heart disease. Children who had additional serious illnesses were excluded. RESULT the predominant percentile values and Z scores were concentrated within the range of normal levels. The Z scores, however, presented negative variations with a deviation to the left. In the analysis of predictive factors, the occurrence of immediate and acute malnutrition was related to a decrease in skinfold thickness (decrease in subscapular skinfold thickness, while immediate malnutrition was related to a high Apgar score. Chronic malnutrition was related to female children with higher ages. CONCLUSION it is evidenced that it is necessary to carry out nutritional strategies which improve prognosis, so as to widen the nursing care directed at these children.