ABSTRACT
Nutritional support has become a hallmark breakthrough and veritable success of modern surgical care. The choice to provide nutritional support and the type of nutritional support has been the focus of many quality research initiatives as well as distinguished careers. Overfeeding is a catch-all term that really encompasses a variety of different studied clinical entities including caloric intake, protein to fat calories, and specific macro-nutrient effects on metabolism and outcome. One particular concern of overfeeding is liver dysfunction. Complications related to the delivery device of nutritional support are both well-represented in the literature at large and dramatic. Gastrostomy tube placement is another reliable means to provide enteral feeds. Several studies have been done to establish the safety and complication profile of different gastrostomy tube placement strategies. Complications associated with enteral feeding tube access range from increased cost to devastating effects of tube dislodgment.
