Artificial feeding

1. Big picture

Artificial feeding means nutritional support when the patient cannot meet nutritional needs by normal oral intake. In surgery, nutrition is not a “minor supportive detail”; it directly affects:

• wound healing;
• immune function;
• anastomotic healing;
• infection risk;
• respiratory muscle strength;
• recovery after major surgery;
• mortality in critically ill patients.

The key surgical rule:

If the gut works, use the gut.

This means enteral nutrition is preferred whenever the gastrointestinal tract is functional, because it preserves gut mucosa, reduces bacterial translocation, supports immunity, and has fewer serious complications than total parenteral nutrition.

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