[Elemental diet and external fistulae of, the digestive system]

An elemental diet is a food which provides the basic needs in calories, proteins, vitamins and minerals with two advantages: it is predigested and leaves minimal or no residue to provide bulk. The care of 20 patients, with an elemental diet, presenting 20 external fistulas (75 per cent with low output and 25 per cent with high output) succeeded to obtain a spontaneous healing in 75 per cent of the cases, and an improvement of the general conditions of 15 per cent of the patients who were operated on because of fistula persistency. The death rate was 10 per cent. We think that the elemental diet is a useful tool in the treatment of external fistulas of patients who have preserved their bowel movements and an output smaller than 500 ml. in 24 hrs.