[Ambulatory tube feeding. An alternative to parenteral feeding]

Nowadays, enteral tube feeding is an alternative to parenteral nutrition in hospitalized patients. Special tubes and differentiated diets enable a high quality, enteral nutrition, which can be well applied for a number of indications without complications. This tube feeding can also be managed in ambulatory patients with benign or malignant diseases. The education, training and surveillance of these patients is a necessary requirement. Mobility and living habits of the patients are hardly disturbed at all by this regimen. Deficiencies due to the exclusive application of a chemically defined diet need not to be feared.