Background (from article)
Children with cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P) are highly susceptible to malnutrition, which can restrict their ability to receive safe surgery. Ready-to-use therapeutic foods (RUTF) are an effective treatment for children with malnutrition; however, the effectiveness of short-term nutritional supplementation in preparing patients for cleft surgery has not been demonstrated. We studied the effectiveness of RUTF in transitioning malnourished patients with CL/P, who were initially ineligible for surgery, into surgical candidates.