A Review on Enteral Nutrition among Patients Hospitalized in Intensive Care Units

Malnutrition is one of the common problems among patients- especially those hospitalized in intensive care units- and causes some complications for these people. This study was done in order to analyze the degree of malnutrition among critically ill patients, and to determine the importance of following enteral nutrition for these patients.

This article is a review article which has been performed through library research and search in national and international databases such as SID and PubMed, with keywords of critical patients, enteral nutrition and malnutrition, from 2008 to 2015.

Enteral nutrition involves delivering nutrients into digestive system through a tube or a catheter, and it is done when the patient is not able to receive food through mouth. Carried-out research show preference for enteral nutrition over IV nutrition among patients with normal performance of digestive system. Enteral nutrition keeps the natural performance of intestine, prevents atrophy of villi, stimulates intestinal perfusion, and improves the immune system. In addition, this method is much easier and more economical than the IV method.

Considering the spread of malnutrition among patients hospitalized in intensive care units, it is important to support these patients nutritionally. According to carried-out research, it is recommended to begin feeding patients without nutritional prohibition as soon as they are hospitalized.