title: Nutrition support for the mechanically ventilated patient.
abstract: Nutrition support is a hotly debated topic in most intensive care units. Is enteral nutrition or TPN best? Is gastric or small-bowel feeding safer? Are specialized formulas needed? These are only some of the issues, and the fact remains that there is a paucity of clear, solid data. Folklore has become the standard of practice in many areas of medicine; it is richly found in nutrition support. We must be careful not to get caught up in the trappings of our beliefs about nutrition support. Instead, we must continue to evaluate our own practices and fine-tune our skills of clinical assessment and common sense.
authors.affiliation: University of Virginia Health Sciences Center, Division of Gastroenterology/Department of Nutrition Services in Charlottesville, VA, USA.
authors.forename: Carol Rees
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Parrish
authors.forename: Stacey Falls
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: McCray
mesh_terms: D003422:Critical Care / Q000379:methods; D016638:Critical Illness / Q000628:therapy; D002149:Energy Intake; D004734:Energy Metabolism; D004750:Enteral Nutrition / Q000379:methods* / Q000451:nursing; D006801:Humans; D009730:Nursing Assessment / Q000379:methods; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D009751:Nutritional Requirements; D018529:Nutritional Support / Q000379:methods* / Q000451:nursing; D018579:Patient Selection; D012121:Respiration, Artificial / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000451:nursing