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Nutritional Support
Also called: Artificial feeding, Artificial hydration and nutrition, Hyperalimentation, Parenteral nutrition, TPN, Tube feeding
Nutritional support is 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 or 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.
Giving nutritional support can have both benefits and risks. Families considering nutritional support for a loved one who cannot make decisions should discuss the options with the patient's doctor.
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Start Here
- Artificial Hydration and Nutrition(American Academy of Family Physicians)
- Also available in Spanish
The top row in the table of contents box contains the following groups:
Basics
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Learn More
, and
Multimedia & Cool Tools
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For group Basics
For group Learn More
For group Multimedia & Cool Tools
The bottom row in the table of contents box contains the following groups:
Research
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Reference Shelf
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For You
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For group Research
For group Reference Shelf
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Overviews
- What Is Nutrition Support Therapy?(American Society for Parenteral & Enteral Nutrition)
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Latest News
- Nutrient Therapy Won't Help ICU Patients(04/17/2013, HealthDay)
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Disease Management
- Adult Catheter Care and Infection Prevention Guide(Oley Foundation) - PDF
- Home Enteral Nutrition (HEN) Complication Chart(Oley Foundation) - PDF
- Home Parenteral Nutrition (HPN) Complication Chart(Oley Foundation) - PDF
- Tips for Traveling with HomePEN(Oley Foundation)
- Tube Feeding Emergency Kit(Oley Foundation)
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Specific Conditions
- Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy (PEG)(American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy)
- Total Parenteral Nutrition(American Society of Health-System Pharmacists)
- What Is Enteral Nutrition?(American Society for Parenteral & Enteral Nutrition)
- Also available in Spanish
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Related Issues
- Central Venous Catheter (Central Line)(American Thoracic Society) - PDF
- Making the Decision: Tube Feeding--Frequently Asked Questions(Brown University, Center for Gerontology and Health Care Research)
- Reduce - and Report - Enteral Feeding Tube Misconnections(Food and Drug Administration)
- Vascular Access Procedures(American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America)
- Also available in Spanish
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Pictures & Photographs
- Central Venous Access Catheters (CVAC) and Gastrostomy (Feeding) Tubes(Society of Interventional Radiology)
- Gastrostomy tube placement - slideshow
- Also available in Spanish
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Clinical Trials
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Nutritional Support(National Institutes of Health)
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Parenteral Nutrition(National Institutes of Health)
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Nutritional Support
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Journal Articles
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Early parenteral nutrition in critically ill patients with short-term relative...
- Article: Question 1 * do feeding practices during transfusion influence the...
- Article: Radiologic percutaneous gastrostomy: review of potential complications and approach to...
- Nutritional Support -- see more articles
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Directories
- Find a Registered Dietitian(Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics)
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Organizations
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Newsletters/Print Publications
- LifeLineLetter(Oley Foundation)
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Children
- Gastrostomy Tube (G-Tube)(Nemours Foundation)
- Also available in Spanish
- Weaning Preparation for Children Fed by G-Tube(Oley Foundation)
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Patient Handouts
- Central venous catheter - dressing change
- Also available in Spanish
- Central venous catheter - flushing
- Also available in Spanish
- Central venous catheters - ports
- Also available in Spanish
- Enteral nutrition - child - managing problems
- Also available in Spanish
- Feeding tube - infants
- Also available in Spanish
- Gastrostomy feeding tube
- Also available in Spanish
- Gastrostomy feeding tube - pump
- Jejunostomy feeding tube
- Also available in Spanish
- Nasogastric feeding tube
- Also available in Spanish
- Peripherally inserted central catheter
- Also available in Spanish
- Peripherally inserted central catheter - dressing change
- Also available in Spanish
- Peripherally inserted central catheter - insertion
- Also available in Spanish
- Total parenteral nutrition
- Also available in Spanish
- Total parenteral nutrition - infants
- Also available in Spanish
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You may also be interested in these related encyclopedia pages:
MEDICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA
- Central venous catheter - dressing change
- Central venous catheter - flushing
- Central venous catheters - ports
- Enteral nutrition - child - managing problems
- Feeding tube - infants
- Feeding tube insertion - gastrostomy
- Gastrostomy feeding tube
- Gastrostomy feeding tube - pump
- Gastrostomy tube placement - slideshow
- Jejunostomy feeding tube
