Nutritional and metabolic support.

The problem of hunger accompanies any mass casualty situation that results in large numbers of patients with traumatic and burn injuries complicated by sepsis and end organ failure. This is caused by the inability of many of these patients to eat. Such patients require artificial nutrition. A rescue operation that does not provide adequate artificial nutrition, no matter how well organized with respect to field stabilization, surgical intervention, and intensive care, will find many of its patients dying of multiorgan disorders due to nutritional failure. This article is concerned with how to provide such artificial nutrition.