title: Defining and assessing tolerance in enteral nutrition.
abstract: Nutrition support has become widely recognized as an essential component of optimal care for acutely ill patients. Enteral nutrition is preferred over parenteral routes when possible. However, prescribed enteral nutritional regimens are sometimes met with side effects and even complications. These adverse events have been collectively termed "intolerance," and forms of intolerance occur in a spectrum from bothersome at least to life threatening when most severe. Here we discuss nutritional access and its maintenance, introduce and define intolerance, and then review the current literature with regard to principal forms of enteral nutrition intolerance.
authors.affiliation: Section on Trauma and Surgical Critical Care, Department of Surgery, C224 Division of General Surgery, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, 800 Rose Street, Lexington, Kentucky 40536-0298, USA. acbern00@uky.edu
authors.forename: Andrew C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Bernard
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Magnuson
authors.forename: Betty J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Tsuei
authors.forename: Marjorie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Swintosky
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Barnes
authors.forename: Paul A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Kearney