| Abstract: |
Adequate nutrition is vital for even the most basic biochemical reactions to occur. However, there are conditions and diseases in which people are not able to take in sufficient nutrition orally, and nutrition must be provided via other methods to meet caloric requirements. Enteral nutrition is nutrition provided directly to the gastrointestinal tract via a tube, catheter, or stoma distal to the oral cavity, while parenteral nutrition is nutrition administered directly into the venous system. Enteral nutrition is always preferred when technically feasible in a person with a functional gastrointestinal tract. In this chapter, we will discuss the indications for enteral nutrition, types of enteral access devices, enteral feeding formulations, special considerations when initiating enteral nutrition in certain populations, and complications of enteral nutrition. © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022, corrected publication 2022. |
