[Usefulness of enteral feeding in surgery]

Eighty malnourished patients with neoplasms, enteric fistulae, multiorgan trauma and septic complications administered food by means of enteral feeding (EF). It was found that EF prevents weight loss and even causes weight gain in patients, increases total protein and albumin concentrations and decreases urea and creatinine levels in blood which is a proof of catabolism fall. Patient condition improvement and healing of the majority of enteric fistulae was achieved after EF. Factory diet intolerance affected 5% of patients and diarrhoea-6%. Investigations prove that enteral feeding is a good alternative to parenteral nutrition. If enteral feeding follows proper indications, technique and route of administration are chosen the right way, it allows the surgeon to perform operation, decreases the number of complications and enables the patient's organism fight septic syndrome. Enteral feeding is a state of the art method of severely ill patient nutrition.