Enteral & parenteral nutritional support

If patients are unable to obtain their nutritional requirements through oral intake, enteral support may be needed. There are several types of enteral access that may be appropriate, but one of the most commonly used in gastroparesis is the jejunostomy tube. A feeding tube is inserted through the abdomen and into the jejunum (the second part of the small intestine), bypassing the parts of the digestive system that are not working adequately. This allows the patient to receive the nutrition, hydration, and medication that they require, in a way that they can absorb it. A gastric drainage tube may also be utilized to provide relief of some gastroparesis symptoms by draining stomach contents, and often the jejunal tube can be passed through the gastrostomy tube, reducing the number of holes in the abdominal wall, but still allowing both gastric drainage and jejunal feeding. If enteral support does not resolve patient malnutrition, parenteral support may be considered. In this instance, the patient will be fed intravenously which avoids the digestive system by delivering nutrients directly into a vein, but is an invasive treatment which can be associated with long term complications.