M E T H O D S
Criteria for considering studies for this review Types of studies We planned to include randomized controlled trials (RCTs), completed or ongoing. Types of participants We planned to include trials of paediatric participants, aged one day to 18 years, who were cared for in a paediatric intensive care setting and who received nutrition within the first seven days of
admission. We also planned to include studies involving both paediatric and adult participants if data were separately available for paediatric cases cared for in a paediatric intensive care unit (PICU). Studies were to be excluded if participants were primarily adults. We planned to analyse those participants aged less than one year separately fromchildren who were older than one year, if such data were available, given that infants are believed to have higher nutritional requirements compared to older children. Furthermore, medical patients are often studied separately from surgical, critically ill participants (including trauma participants). If there were no studies that differentiated medical from surgical participants, we planned to group these participants in the analysis.