The Current Status of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition in the Critically III

摘要

Although it would appear logical that enteral feeding should be preferred over parenteral feeding, clinical trials do not justify this recommendation. Both enteral and parenteral feeding have risks, benefits, and complications similar in amount although somewhat different in type, but the clinical situation will often make one mode of feeding or the combination more appropriate than the other. In the critically ill it is usually the adequacy of feeding rather than the route which will determine improvement in clinical outcome.