Nutritional support of the hospitalized patient. Part II. Clinical indications.

The first part of this review dealt with the background, methodology and techniques of nutritional support. As a significant proportion of hospitalized patients suffer from various forms of unrecognized and untreated malnutrition, nutritional support is essential for the maintenance of body mass and function until specific treatment is able to influence the course of disease. The following review highlights various medical and surgical conditions in which nutritional support, in particular total parenteral nutrition, has been advocated in adult patients. Nutritional repletion as a therapeutic modality is still in its infancy, and consequently its true role in patient management is still undergoing evaluation.