This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Cathey, L. Articles by Greene, F. L. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Cathey, L. Articles by Greene, F. L. Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Flexible Endoscopy and Enteral Nutrition

Frederick L. Greene, MD

Department of General Surgery, Carolinas Medical Center, PO Box 32861, Charlotte NC 28232-2861

The use of intensive nutritional support to meet the metabolic nutrient requirements of critically ill patients has become standard medical treatment. It has been shown that enteral feeding provides significantly better metabolic support than long-term intravenous hyper-alimentation and therefore, endoscopic placement of enteral access has become commonplace. As an extension of flexible endoscopy, the trans-oral or percutaneous placement of enteral access devices is appropriate for patients with gastrointestinal disease, post-trauma support, and oncologic processes. The main access route continues to be achieved through the use of nasoenteric feeding tubes that may be facilitated by endoscopic placement. Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy and jejunostomy have become reliable methods of achieving enteral access as videoendoscopy usage has increased. The placement of jejunal feeding tubes reduces the opportunity for reflux of gastric content and, in the long-term, has proven a reliable method for enteral support.

Surgical Innovation, Vol. 10, No. 1, 37-42 (2003)
DOI: 10.1177/107155170301000107


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?