A young child with a serious heart condition called hypoplastic left heart syndrome was severely malnourished while waiting for a heart transplant. Doctors gave him special nutrition through a feeding tube combined with regular food, which helped him gain weight and get stronger over 13 months. By the time he received his new heart, he was healthier and recovered better from surgery than doctors might have expected. This case shows that children with this serious heart condition may do much better if they receive extra nutritional support while waiting for transplants.
The Quick Take
- What they studied: Whether special nutrition support could help a young child with a serious heart condition gain weight and get healthier while waiting for a heart transplant
- Who participated: One child, 1 year and 10 months old, with a severe heart condition called hypoplastic left heart syndrome who was waiting for a heart transplant
- Key finding: The child was severely underweight when admitted to the hospital, but after receiving nutrition through a feeding tube plus regular food for 13 months, he reached a healthy weight and recovered well after his transplant surgery
- What it means for you: If you have a child with a serious heart condition, doctors may recommend special feeding methods to help them get stronger before surgery. This appears to help children do better after their operations, though more research is needed to confirm this in larger groups of children
The Research Details
This is a case report, which means doctors documented the medical care and progress of one specific patient. The doctors collected information from the hospital’s medical records about a young boy with a serious heart condition who was hospitalized for about 13 months while waiting for a heart transplant. They tracked his weight, height, protein intake, and overall health during his stay. The child received nutrition through two methods: a feeding tube that delivered liquid nutrition directly to his stomach, and regular food eaten by mouth. The doctors measured how much nutrition he received each day and watched how his body responded over time.
This research approach is important because it shows what happened in real life with one patient. While a single case doesn’t prove something works for everyone, it can show doctors that a new treatment idea is worth studying more carefully. In this situation, the detailed records help doctors understand exactly what nutrition plan worked for this child and might help them treat other children with the same condition.
This is a single case report, which is the lowest level of scientific evidence. It tells us what happened to one child, but we cannot assume the same results would happen for all children with this condition. The information comes from actual medical records, which makes it reliable for this one patient. However, to know if this nutrition approach truly helps most children, doctors would need to study many more patients in a controlled research study. The fact that the child did well is encouraging, but more research is needed before making this a standard treatment for all children.
What the Results Show
When the child first arrived at the hospital, he was severely underweight according to international growth standards used by doctors worldwide. The medical team decided to give him nutrition through a feeding tube combined with food he could eat by mouth. Over the 13-month waiting period, the child received between 35 to 100 calories per kilogram of body weight each day, along with 1.6 to 2.7 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight daily. By the time he received his heart transplant, the child had reached a healthy weight according to the same international standards doctors use. This was a significant improvement from his severely malnourished state at admission.
Beyond just gaining weight, the child showed other signs of improved health. His height-for-age measurements improved, though the improvement was modest. His hair became healthier and had better color and texture, which is often a sign that the body is getting better nutrition. The child’s body also recovered some of its natural fat reserves, which had been depleted from malnutrition. Most importantly, after receiving his new heart through transplant surgery, the child recovered well from the operation, which surprised doctors who might have expected more complications given his initial severe malnutrition.
Doctors have long known that children with serious heart conditions like this one often become malnourished, and that malnutrition can make surgery more dangerous and recovery slower. This case report supports what previous research has suggested: that improving nutrition before surgery may help children do better. However, this is one of the first detailed reports showing how a specific nutrition plan using feeding tubes combined with regular food can successfully improve a child’s nutritional status before heart transplant surgery.
This study has important limitations. It describes only one child, so we cannot know if the same nutrition plan would work for other children with the same condition. Every child is different, and what worked for this patient might not work exactly the same way for others. The doctors did not compare this nutrition approach to other methods, so we cannot say it is better than other treatments. Additionally, we do not know if the child’s good recovery after surgery was entirely due to better nutrition or if other factors also played a role. To truly understand if this approach helps most children, doctors would need to study many more patients and compare different nutrition methods.
The Bottom Line
Based on this case, doctors may consider using feeding tubes combined with regular food to help children with serious heart conditions gain weight and strength before transplant surgery. However, this recommendation is based on one patient’s experience, so it should be discussed with your child’s heart specialist. The approach appears promising and may help children recover better after surgery, but more research is needed to confirm this works for most children. Any nutrition plan should be personalized for each child by their medical team.
Parents and caregivers of children with serious heart conditions, especially those waiting for heart transplants, should know about this case. Heart specialists and pediatric nutritionists should consider this approach when caring for malnourished children with heart disease. This is less relevant for children with mild heart conditions or those not facing surgery. If your child has a serious heart condition, discuss nutrition support options with your child’s medical team.
In this case, it took about 13 months of nutrition support for the child to reach a healthy weight. However, the timeline may be different for other children depending on how severely malnourished they are and how well they tolerate the feeding tube. Some children might improve faster, while others might take longer. The important point is that improvement can happen with consistent nutrition support, even over a long waiting period.
Want to Apply This Research?
- If your child is receiving nutrition support, track daily calorie and protein intake from both feeding tube and regular food. Record weekly weight measurements and compare them to growth charts. Note any improvements in energy level, hair health, or physical appearance.
- Work with your child’s nutrition team to establish a consistent feeding schedule that combines tube feeding with age-appropriate meals. Document which foods your child tolerates best and gradually introduce new foods as tolerated. Set weekly weight gain goals with your medical team.
- Create a simple chart showing weekly weight, height measurements, and daily nutrition intake. Share this with your child’s heart specialist and nutritionist at each visit. Track improvements in physical signs like hair quality, skin health, and energy levels. Monitor for any feeding difficulties or tolerance issues and report them immediately to your medical team.
This case report describes the experience of one child and should not be considered medical advice for your situation. Every child with heart disease is unique and requires individualized care. If your child has a heart condition or is waiting for a transplant, work closely with your child’s cardiologist and nutrition specialist to develop an appropriate nutrition plan. Do not start or change any feeding methods without consulting your child’s medical team. This information is educational and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.