Nutrition support techniques
may range from oral dietary supplementation to nasogastric
or gastrostomy tube feedings and, in some cases, total
PN (41). The nutritional needs (mainly energy and protein)
of these patients are greater than the recommended
physiological rate for age and weight, while the tolerated
fluid volume is limited due to the cardiac dysfunction. That
is why the alimentation of these patients at physiological
rates for breast milk or standard formulas can expose them
to malnutrition and its consequences.