What is enteral nutrition?
When daily food intake is difficult or nutritional requirements are increased due to a medical condition, a patient sometimes cannot be provided with enough nutrition through normal food intake.
Enteral nutrition is the provision of nutrition through a tube in the gastro-intestinal tract. This special nutrition can also be provided through a nasal tube or a PEG tube.
This allows for the supplementation or replacement of normal nutrition with “artificial” nutrition.
Need for enteral nutrition
Enteral nutrition is necessary when a patient cannot eat or does not eat sufficiently. This is usually the case in patients with tumor-related impediments to feeding, swallowing disorders, or in patients who have had a stroke.
If left untreated, such cases may result in malnutrition. The health consequences of such untreated malnutrition are diverse, such as increased risk of decubitus, weakening of the immune system, and an increased risk of mortality.
In Germany, around 120,000 patients rely on enteral nutrition. Enteral nutrition products contain all vital nutrients, such as proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and trace elements (i.e. a balanced diet).
Nutrition provision with Orbisana Healthcare GmbH
Orbisana Healthcare care professionals work closely with the treating physician to determine the nutritional status of each patient, e.g. through a body-mass index (BMI) analysis or bio-electrical impedance analysis (BIA) and develop a customized nutritional plan.
Through cooperation with all leading manufacturers, Orbisana Healthcare GmbH is able to provide enteral nutrition and the associated equipment required for the provision of nutrition (feeding pump, application technology) at any time. A wide range of liquid nutritional products with different flavors are available for malnourished patients who are still capable of oral ingestion.
We offer products in the following areas
- Enteral nutrition
- Application technology
- Feeding pumps