Nutritional Support
Also called: Artificial feeding, Artificial hydration and nutrition, Hyperalimentation, Parenteral nutrition, TPN, Tube feeding
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Basics
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For You
Summary
Nutritional support is therapy for people who cannot get enough nourishment by eating or drinking. You may need it if you
- Can't swallow
- Have problems with your appetite
- Are severely malnourished
- Can't absorb nutrients through your digestive system
You receive nutritional support through a needle or catheter placed in your vein or with a feeding tube, which goes into your stomach.
Related Issues
- Adult Catheter Care and Infection Prevention Guide (Oley Foundation) - PDF
- Home Parenteral Nutrition (HPN) Complication Chart (Oley Foundation) - PDF
- Reduce - and Report - Enteral Feeding Tube Misconnections (Food and Drug Administration)
- Tips for Traveling with HomePEN (Oley Foundation)
- Tube Feeding Troubleshooting Guide (Oley Foundation) - PDF
- Vascular Access Procedures (Radiological Society of North America, American College of Radiology) Also in Spanish
Specifics
- Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy (PEG) (American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy) Also in Spanish
- Total Parenteral Nutrition (American Society of Health-System Pharmacists)
- What Is Enteral Nutrition? (American Society for Parenteral & Enteral Nutrition) Also in Spanish
Genetics
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Genetics Home Reference: chronic atrial and intestinal dysrhythmia
(National Library of Medicine)
-
Genetics Home Reference: trichohepatoenteric syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
Images
- Central Venous Access Catheters (CVAC) and Gastrostomy (Feeding) Tubes (Society of Interventional Radiology)
- Gastrostomy tube placement - slideshow Also in Spanish
Clinical Trials
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Nutritional Support (National Institutes of Health)
-
ClinicalTrials.gov: Parenteral Nutrition (National Institutes of Health)
Journal ArticlesReferences and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
Reference Desk
- LifeLineLetter (Oley Foundation)
Find an Expert
- Find a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics)
- Food and Drug Administration
Children
- Gastrostomy Tube (G-Tube) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
- Weaning Preparation for Children Fed by G-Tube (Oley Foundation)
Patient Handouts
- Feeding tube - infants Also in Spanish
- Gastrostomy feeding tube - bolus Also in Spanish
- Gastrostomy feeding tube - pump Also in Spanish
- Jejunostomy feeding tube Also in Spanish
- Nasogastric feeding tube Also in Spanish
- PEG tube insertion -- discharge Also in Spanish
