Objective: Identifying complications related to enteral nutrition at home in children is important in terms of establishing standard discharge education and training programs to support parents in managing complications. The study aimed to synthesize current evidence on the complications of pediatric enteral nutrition at home.

Methods: The study was conducted according to PRISMA recommendations. Eight databases were reviewed between 2012 and 2022 in Turkish, German, and English languages. Articles were assessed in three stages: title, abstract, and full text. The review included 18 studies that met all the inclusion criteria. The Joanna Briggs Institute Meta-Analysis of Statistics Assessment and Review Instruments were used to assess the quality appraisal of the studies.

Results: A total of 18 studies with 19,531 children were included from 14 countries. The outcome measures were major and minor complications with pediatric enteral nutrition at home. 11 of the 18 papers included were retrospective studies on complications of PEG. In studies reporting the overall rate of major complications ranged from 0% to 14.3%, and the most common complications were reoperation (2.64%-12.4%), and gastrocolic fistula/perforation (0.9%-3.8%). In studies reporting the overall rate of minor complications, the rate ranged from 16.4%-73.6% and the most common complications were infection (8.2%-31.9%), dislodgement (1.6%-21%), skin granulation (4%-50.4%), and vomiting (1%-49.89%).

Conclusion: This systematic review reveals that the rate of complications in pediatric enteral nutrition at home cannot be underestimated. Healthcare providers should plan their practice considering these complications to support parents in managing complications of pediatric enteral nutrition at home.

Keywords: Complications, home enteral nutrition, enteral feeding, children