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Enteral Nutrition

Delivery of nutrients into the gastrointestinal tract via a tube or stoma when oral intake is inadequate.

Also: EN, Tube Feeding

Access routes include nasogastric (NGT), nasoduodenal (NDT), nasojejunal (NJT), percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG), and percutaneous endoscopic jejunostomy (PEJ). EN is preferred over parenteral nutrition when the GI tract is functional because it preserves intestinal mucosal integrity, attenuates the catabolic response, and is associated with fewer infectious complications and lower cost.

How one textbook covers it

  • Krause and Mahan's Food and the Nutrition Care Process, 16th ed. — Chapter 12

    Access routes include nasogastric (NGT), nasoduodenal (NDT), nasojejunal (NJT), percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG), and percutaneous endoscopic jejunostomy (PEJ). EN is preferred over parenteral nutrition when the GI tract is functional because it preserves intestinal mucosal integrity, attenuates the catabolic response, and is associated with fewer infectious complications and lower cost.

Related terms

PEG, Parenteral Nutrition, Refeeding Syndrome