Inpatient treatment of SAM in an infant aged <23 months: a case report
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21839/jfna.2026.v9.10118Keywords:
Severe acute malnutrition, Ready-to-use therapeutic food, F-75 diet, Pediatric intensive care unitAbstract
Severe malnutrition of an infant remains noticeable in Bangladesh, which poses a major public health concern. A <23-month-old female child presented to the hospital with a 12-week history of severe acute malnutrition (SAM), characterized by WHZ<-3, MUAC<115 mm, and evident severe wasting or nutritional oedema. Poor appetite and oedema primarily affecting her four limbs were seen and resulted in a body mass index of 9.7 kg/m2. An autoimmune and infective screen was done after her admission to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU), and the results were unremarkable. Dietetic consultation led to the diagnosis of severe acute malnutrition, consequent to a severely restricted, primarily nutritionally inadequate diet. Analysis of the patient’s reported diet with nutritional software revealed grossly suboptimal caloric intake with risk of inadequacy for most micronutrients, vitamins, and minerals. On arrival, sugar water (10 gr/100 mL) was started immediately, and an F-75 diet (75 kcal or 315 kJ/100 mL) in the PICU & ready to use therapeutic food (RUTF) in the pediatric ward were administered orally for the next 14 days. Marked improvement was seen after 2 weeks, with a near-complete resolution of appetite loss. These findings supported a diagnosis of a SAM patient with complications.
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