Enteric Feedings

Excerpt

Enteral nutrition uses the gastrointestinal tract to supply nutrients. This can be accomplished by feeding by mouth or through a feeding tube.

Advantages of enteral nutrition over parenteral nutrition include: safety, effectiveness, decreased risk of infection, decreased cost, prevents gut atrophy, and preserving the barrier function of the gut.

Artificial nutrition refers to the provision or supplementation of daily metabolic nutrition requirements in patients with contraindications to feeding through the mouth or those with inadequate oral intake. Artificial nutrition is provided through parental or enteral access. Parenteral nutrition is provided through a large vein in the central venous system. Enteral nutrition uses the gastrointestinal (GI) tract to provide nutrition. Enteral access can be obtained by passing a feeding tube through the nose (nasogastric and nasojejunal) and mouth (orogastric) at the bedside. It can also be achieved by surgically implanting a feeding tube into the gut, such as a feeding gastrostomy (stomach) or a feeding jejunostomy (jejunum). Historically, enteral nutrition has not been as well emphasized as parenteral nutrition because of the belief that many disease states will prevent the gut from normal absorptive function. However, enteral nutrition is well tolerated even in severe disease states in critically ill patients. Moreover, enteral nutrition has been associated with reduced infectious complications, lower costs, and reduced length of hospital stay.