Nutritional support of surgical and critically ill patients has undergone significant advances since 1936 when Studley demonstrated a direct relationship between pre-operative weight loss and operative mortality. The advent of total parenteral nutrition followed by the extraordinary progress in parenteral and enteral feedings, in addition to the increased knowledge of cellular biology and bioch...

This study examined the effects of nutrition support team (NST) services on nutrition supply type and patient outcomes in the intensive care unit (ICU) of a general hospital in South Korea. We retrospectively analyzed hospital records of patients who received either parenteral or enteral nutrition support during their ICU stays in the second half of NST (Nutrition Support Team) year 1 (2008) an...

BACKGROUND/AIM Malnutrition is a common medical condition among intensive care unit patients. It should be monitored carefully, since early management of malnutrition can dramatically improve the medical condition of the patients. A general consideration of enteral feeding shows that it is much more useful than parenteral administration, because it is more physiological and poses a lower risk o...

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to examine and describe our experience with the use of peripheral parenteral nutrition (PPN). METHODS Patients with an indication for parenteral nutrition for less than 15 days received it via a peripheral vein via a short, 20 or 22 gauge French polyurethane catheter. Parenteral nutrition had a final osmolality of 993 mOsm/l and was administered by infusion...

Enteral nutrition is the process of nourishing a patient with a liquid diet of defined composition, usually given through a nasogastric, nasointestinal, gastrostomy, or jejunostomy tube. Parenteral nutrition is the administration of nutrients directly into the bloodstream through a central venous catheter or by peripheral infusion. When the only source of nutrient intake is via the parenteral r...

I review here some key developments of personal and professional interest, with special reference to total parenteral nutrition (TPN), an area in which I have been involved from 1937 until recently. As a result of basic and biomedical science advances achieved in university and industrial laboratories in numerous countries, many essential nutrients were identified, synthesized, produced, and pr...

The workshop was chaired by Barrie Margetts and attended by about twenty people. The purpose was to share information about the International Committee of The Nutrition Society (ICONS) and the progress of the Information Sheets, and to discuss other ways of supporting overseas members. Barrie outlined the structure and role of ICONS which has taken over the functions of the Task Force on Overse...

Acute kidney injury is a frequent complication affecting many hospitalized patients and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Acute kidney injury often occurs in conjunction with critical illness, which is a hypermetabolic state presenting with hyperglycemia, insulin resistance, hypertriglyceridemia, and increased protein catabolism. In addition to addressing these changes, the ...

Patients who become critically ill can have problems maintaining nutritional intake and it can be challenging for nurses to provide nutritional support. No one assessment method can identify each patient's risk of malnutrition, so nurses need to look at different aspects in their nutritional assessment and refer for specialist help from dietitians and nutrition support teams when needed. This a...

The general approach to the nutritional care of the catabolic, malnourished or critically ill patient involves delivery of a balanced diet including energy (in the form of carbohydrates and lipids), an adequate amount of nitrogen, all essential nutrients (amino acids, fatty acids, vitamins, electrolytes) and fluid [1]. Traditionally, the qualitative and quantitative composition of dietetic meas...