Is parenteral nutrition really that risky in the intensive care unit?
Griffiths RD Intensive Care Research Group, Department of Medicine, Duncan Building, UCD, University of Liverpool, Daulby Street, Liverpool L69 3GA, UK. rdg@liverpool.ac.uk PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Although enteral nutrition is now the mainstay of nutrition delivery within intensive care, there is a blind faith in its benefits and a disregard of its risks. This has led to the belief that parenteral nutrition is no longer required as it is fraught with risks to the patient. This review attempts to dispel these myths and compares and contrasts the risks of enteral nutrition with those of parenteral nutrition in the critically ill. RECENT FINDINGS: A greater appreciation of the failings and risks associated with the delivery of enteral nutrition combined with improvements in the formulation and use of parenteral nutrition help explain why parenteral nutrition is not as risky as some have believed. Recent evidence has suggested that enteral nutrition in a few selected circumstances may even carr
