[The use of nutritive mixtures in a surgical unit (author's transl)]

Fifty patients in whom different nutritive mixtures were used are presented. Eight solutions with increasing caloric and nitrogen contents were used. The purpose of the study was to improve the nutritional status of patients prepared to major surgical interventions. A daily nitrogen balance was made to find out in what measure a positive balance could be attained. The presence or absence of complication was of utmost importance in the evaluation.