Nutritional Support - Fundamental Objective in Postoperative Digestive Fistulas Therapy

The exceptional gravity of digestive fistulas with a high flow is caused by important losses of digestive secretions containing proteins and electrolytes, which leads to hypoproteinemia, electrolyte and metabolic imbalances, accompanied by secondary immunosuppression. The sepsis encumbered on a body with severe malnutrition, represents the main cause of death. The aim of this paper is to present the significance of the intensive care, nutritional and pharmacological measures for a young patient suffering from a megadolicocolon, who has been operated several times in the abdominal area, diagnosed with septic shock, generalized bilious purulent peritonitis occlusive form through ileal perforation and severe malnutrition. The nutritional management of the patient played an extremely important part in the therapeutic success.