Enteral nutrition organ failure

EN is indicated for the patient who cannot or will not eat enough to meet nutritional requirements and who has a functioning GI tract. Additionally, a method of enteral access must be possible. Potential indications include neoplastic disease, organ failure, hypermetabolic states, GI disease, and neurologic impairment. 

Patients with mild AP can begin oral feeding within several days of the onset of pain. In severe disease, nutritional deficits develop rapidly and are complicated by tissue necrosis, organ failure, and surgery. Enteral or parenteral nutrition should be initiated if it is anticipated that oral nutrition will be withheld for more than 1 week, as nutritional depletion can impair recovery and increase the risk of complications. Although total parenteral nutrition is very effective in critically ill... 

Malnutrition is still an underestimated problem in the ICU among patients with chronic respiratory failure, and, therefore, a nutritional assessment is an important part of the management of patients requiring ventilation (90). Appropriate nutrition makes a valuable contribution to outcomes in the ICU and whether feeding is oral, enteral, or parenteral, it should be organized to provide the best caloric and metabolic daily intake. 

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