Ins and Outs of Enteral Access. Part 1: Short-Term Enteral Access

Abstract

Proper selection of the type of enteral access in a given clinical situation is important to maximize the benefit to the patient and minimize the discomfort to the patient, the morbidity and mortality, and the cost. This decision is based on whether or not the patient needs short-term (<4–6 weeks) or long-term enteral nutrition support. This article focuses on short-term access including nasogastric (NG) and nasoenteric (NE) tubes and reviews each of these enteral access tubes along with their indications, contraindications, advantages, and disadvantages.