Formula showdown: which one helps sick Kids' gut bugs?
NCT ID NCT03414775
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study compared two types of liquid food (Pediasure and Nourish) to see how they affect the gut bacteria in 32 critically ill children ages 1-17 in the ICU. Researchers collected stool and saliva samples to track changes in the microbiome. The goal was to understand how different formulas might influence recovery, not to treat a specific disease.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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32 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Feb 2018
- Finished
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Jul 2025
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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1 year to 17 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit * Age 1-17 years old * Previously placed enteric tube designed for enteric feeding Exclusion Criteria: * Vasoactive medication use * History of allergies or intolerances to either Pediasure or Nourish * Whey allergy or intolerance * Gluten sensitivity or intolerance * Medical condition that necessitate the use of specific formulas and/or nutritional needs (e.g. epilepsy requiring ketogenic diet, genetic metabolic dysfunction with specific formula requirements)
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15224, United States
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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