ABSTRACT
Nutritional depletion is associated with malnutrition, increased morbidity-including delayed wound healingincreased lengths of hospital stay, and increased mortality (1). Malnutrition is common in hospitalized trauma patients with an incidence of 30% to 55% (2). Nutrition provides vital cell substrates, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals required for recovery from illness (3). The two current mainstays of nutritional therapy are enteral and parenteral, with most investigators agreeing that the enteral route should be utilized when at all feasible (2-6).
