Abstract:
Relevance. Refeeding syndrome (RFS) is a serious metabolic complication that
occurs upon refeeding after a period of starvation or severe nutritional deprivation.
Although this phenomenon has been well studied in adults, timely recognition,
diagnostic criteria, and prevention of RFS in newborns – particularly preterm infants,
those with low birth weight, and infants with fetal growth restriction – remain
insufficiently standardized. A key challenge is the lack of unified diagnostic criteria
for neonatal RFS, which hampers timely detection, preventive measures, and crossstudy comparability.
Aim. To summarize current evidence on diagnostic criteria for RFS in neonatal
practice, identify principal risk markers of its development, and propose practical
approaches for clinical use.
