Malnutrition is common in critically ill patients and is associated with poor outcomes for patients and increased health care spending. Enteral nutrition is the method of choice for nutrition delivery. Enteral nutrition delivery practices vary widely, and underfeeding is widespread in critical care. Interruptions in enteral nutrition due to performance of procedures, positioning, technical issu...

She was on maximal treatment for her asthma, and had recently been admitted to the ICU in June–August 2006, initially with an exacerbation of asthma with bilateral pneumothoraces, subsequently complicated by sepsis and acute respiratory distress syndrome. She was slow to wean from the ventilator and required a mini-tracheostomy for 19 days. In the period following discharge, she had been review...

Functional dyspepsia (FD) is a highly prevalent disease characterized by symptoms originating from the gastroduodenal region in the absence of underlying organic disease. The Rome III consensus made a distinction between meal-induced and meal-unrelated symptoms and proposed subdivision of FD into postprandial distress syndrome and epigastric pain syndrome. The applicability of this subdivision ...

Megacystis microcolon intestinal hypoperistalsis syndrome (MMIHS) is a rare congenital disease with high mortality rate. The authors report a case of a female term infant with massive abdominal distension at birth. Abdominal ultrasonography revealed a huge cystic mass resolved after urinary catheterization. Exploratory laparotomy was performed and intraoperative findings were an enlarged urinar...

Gastroparesis is a chronic disorder of gastric motility that is characterized by delayed emptying of either solids or liquids from the stomach in the absence of any mechanical obstruction. Nausea, vomiting, early satiety and bloating are some of the manifestations of gastroparesis. Idiopathic, diabetes mellitus and postsurgical states account for the majority of cases. Gastroparesis is a diffic...

Gastroparesis is a condition of abnormal gastric motility characterised by delayed gastric emptying in the absence of mechanical outlet obstruction. It is seen commonly in people with diabetes but is idiopathic in a third of patients. Symptoms include nausea and vomiting, post-prandial fullness and early satiety, and abdominal bloating and discomfort. Investigations fall into three categories: ...

• To learn about common methods used to assess nutritional state in preoperative patients; • To review caloric and protein requirements before and after surgery; • To decide what is the most appropriate route of nutrition in various surgical diseases. • To review the causes of postoperative gastrointestinal paralysis; • To learn in some detail about the perioperative interventions that have bee...