Evaluation of Methods for Extrapolating or Estimating the Size of Children in Pediatric Intensive Care
Condition: Pediatric Intensive Care Unit
Study type: Observational

Summary: 
      Size is a key data used daily by dietary teams; the paramedical team, nurse and diet are in
      charge of its measures.

      In pediatric intensive care unit, a reliable size of the child must be obtained. It allows to
      realize:

        -  a nutritional assessment based on the World Health Organization (WHO) nutritional
           indices such as the Body Mass Index (BMI), growth chart monitoring and other nutritional
           indices. Nutritional status should be assessed and followed in pediatric intensive care
           as it is correlated with the prognosis of children.

        -  an estimate of the energy needs by calculation of the rest energy expenditure.

        -  a calculation of the body surface, useful for drug prescription, evaluation of burn
           scores, calculation of water and energy requirements and indexing of hemodynamic and
           ventilatory data.

      An error in size measurement results in an error in BMI, calculation of energy requirements,
      and body surface area.

      The WHO has defined "gold standard" criteria for measuring height in children, distinguishing
      the less than two years in whom the size is measured strictly lengthened, using a metric, and
      the more than two years in which height is measured standing with a stadiometer. In the
      context of pediatric resuscitation, the criteria for WHO size measurement are difficult to
      meet (coma, sedation, respiratory assistance, catheter, monitoring, proclive position, etc.)
      compromising standing or rectitude required for measurements.

      The child is a growing organism. Health book sizes and declarative sizes are not always
      up-to-date.

      It is therefore important to overcome these difficulties by using estimating or extrapolation
      methods that are applicable and safe in pediatric intensive care unit.

      Currently, in pediatric intensive care units, the size evaluation, by direct measurement,
      estimation or extrapolation of segmental measurement, is not systematic because of the
      complexity of the measurement; To date, no method is used as a reference method in pediatric
      intensive care.

      Among Children in pediatric intensive care unit (which does not usually meet the criteria of
      the WHO Gold Standard for Measurement of Height), to determine the optimal method for size
      measurement, by comparing different methods of estimating / extrapolating the size, gold
      standard WHO (achievable after the stay in intensive care).
    


Intervention name(s): Size Measurement using a measuring tape, a caliper and a metric
Intervention type(s): Other
Intervention description(s): Each patient will have the following measure: measure of the span, the tibia, the ulna, the distance between the hill and the knee, the head, the trunk and the leg. The different measures will be done using a measuring tape and with a caliper. Before leaving the intensive care unit, each patients will be measured according to the WHO standard, that is to say strictly lengthened, using a metric for patient younger than 2 and stand up using a stadiometer for patient older than 2.
Intervention MeSH terms: Metronidazole
Observational model: Cohort
Time perspective: Prospective
Sampling method: Non-Probability Sample
Study population: 
        patients in pediatric intensive care unit