[Artificial nutrition in intestinal failure: short bowel syndrome. Inflammatory Bowel Disease]

Large intestinal resection produces a sufficient number of impairments as to require specialized nutritional support. Basic treatment measures, especially during the acute phase after intestinal resection or in the presence of severe complications in patients with short bowel syndrome, include fluid and electrolytes reposition and nutritional support implementation in order to prevent hyponutrition. Enteral nutrition is the main stimulating factor for adaptation of the remaining bowel. However, its application has some difficulties during the acute phase, and thus patients must be frequently treated with parenteral nutrition. The presence of hyponutrition may be also important in patients with intestinal inflammatory disease. Nutritional support is indicated in these cases as the primary treatment modality for the disease, as hyponutrition treatment, or as perioperative treatment in patients needing surgery. In spite of the digestive pathology, there are data to recommend enteral nutrition as the initial method for nutrients provision in patients that need it.