Nutritional support in the elderly not only co-operates in pharmacological treatment but also very often is a primary therapy for their health. The type of artificial nutrition (AN) to use will depend on the present illness and the previous health record. Due to the fact that enteral feeding (EF) is less expensive and aggressive we should use EF whenever possible, leaving parenteral nutrition (...

BACKGROUND The pathogenesis of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is multifactorial. In addition to prenatal inflammation, postnatal malnutrition also affects lung development. METHODS A retrospective study was performed to analyse during the first two weeks of life the total, enteral and parenteral nutrition of premature infants (<31 weeks, birth weight ≤1500 g) born between 08/04 and 12/06. ...

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) in preterm infants develops very rapidly from a mild intolerance to enteral feeding into intestinal mucosal hemorrhage, inflammation, and necrosis. We hypothesized that immediate feeding-induced gut responses precede later clinical NEC symptoms in preterm pigs. Fifty-six preterm pigs were fed total parenteral nutrition (TPN) for 48 h followed by enteral feeding f...

Percutaneous gastrostomy is a well-established method of providing enteral nutrition to patients incapable of oral intake, or for whom oral intake is insufficient to meet metabolic needs. In comparison to total parenteral nutrition, enteral feeding is advantageous in that it helps maintain gut mucosal integrity, which decreases the risk of bacterial translocation through the gastrointestinal tr...

The use of artificial nutrition remains controversial for cancer patients in palliative care, and its prevalence is largely unknown. We therefore conducted a national study to investigate the prevalence, indications for, and perceived benefit of enteral/parenteral nutrition and intravenous glucose in this patient group. A cross-sectional study was performed within the palliative care research n...

BACKGROUND Given that, in most clinical circumstances, enteral nutrition (nasal gastric tube feeding) may not necessarily be superior to parenteral nutrition (IV feeding), consideration of patient preference should be included in decisions on the method of feeding. OBJECTIVES To evaluate patient preference for nasal gastric versus IV feeding. METHODS We administered a written questionnaire ...

OBJECTIVE Gastroschisis is a defect of the abdominal wall, resulting in congenital evisceration and requiring neonatal intensive care, early surgical correction, and parenteral nutrition. This study evaluated newborns with gastroschisis, seeking to associate nutritional characteristics with time of hospital stay. METHODS This was a retrospective cohort study of 49 newborns undergoing primary ...

The benefits and risks of nutritional therapies in the prevention and management of infectious diseases in the developed world are reviewed. There is strong evidence that early enteral feeding of patients prevents infections in a variety of traumatic and surgical illnesses. There is, however, little support for similar early feeding in medical illnesses. Parenteral nutrition increases the risk ...