title: Home artificial nutrition in Switzerland: an epidemiological survey from 2005 to 2009.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Home artificial nutrition (HAN), including oral nutritional supplements (ONS) and enteral (HEN) and parenteral (HPN) nutrition, is an established, important treatment for malnourished patients. The aim of this study was to analyze the epidemiological data of patients on HAN in Switzerland.
  
  
  METHODS
  This retrospective study recorded all new cases of HAN in Switzerland from January 2005 to December 2009.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 12,917 cases were recorded: 6,731 (52%) males and 6,186 (48%) females, with a mean age of 65.0 ± 17.6 years. The number of patients on ONS was 7,827 (57.4%), on HEN 3,966 (39.4%) and on HPN 433 (3.2%). The most common underlying disease category was neoplasms (6,519, 50.7%). The number of patients on ONS increased from 57.0% (n = 1,252) to 60.8% (n = 2,039), and on HPN from 2.1% (n = 45) to 4.0% (n = 134) between 2005 and 2009.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This first analysis of the large-scale Swiss registry of HAN shows that approximately half of the patients received ONS, whereas HPN was rarely delivered. The frequency of ONS and HPN increased from the year 2005 to 2009. In accordance with previous European studies, malignant tumors were by far the most frequent indication for HAN.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine and Division of Dietetics, Kantonsspital Winterthur, Winterthur, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Susy Ann
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Shaw
authors.forename: Maya
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rühlin
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Wagener
authors.forename: Zeno
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Stanga
authors.forename: Rémy
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Meier
authors.forename: Peter E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Ballmer
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D062905:Central Venous Catheters; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D004034:Diet Surveys; D004750:Enteral Nutrition / Q000191:economics; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D017048:Health Care Costs; D006699:Home Care Services / Q000191:economics; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D018529:Nutritional Support / Q000191:economics; D016331:Parenteral Nutrition, Home / Q000191:economics; D012042:Registries; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012648:Self Care / Q000191:economics; D062211:Spatio-Temporal Analysis; D013557:Switzerland / Q000453:epidemiology