Parenteral nutrition is the administration of nutrients directly through the vein.
Its purpose is to prevent or treat malnutrition in people who cannot feed themselves in the traditional way.
Alone or in association with enteral nutrition, parenteral nutrition provides those subjected with all the nutritional elements it needs, therefore: glucose (which is equivalent to the carbohydrates of the normal diet), amino acids (equivalent to proteins), lipids, vitamins and minerals.
The duration of parenteral nutrition depends on the conditions that required its execution: the more serious these conditions are and the longer it is necessary to administer nutrients via the vein. For treatments long months or years, there is the possibility of practicing parenteral nutrition from home.
The classic situations that make parenteral nutrition necessary are: a cancer in a tract of the digestive system, Crohn's disease, an intestinal infarction, the recurrent appearance of vomiting and nausea, intestinal problems that affect peristalsis, bowel syndrome short etc.
When parenteral nutrition is the only source of nutrients that an individual can use, total parenteral nutrition is also defined.
