Behind the ESPEN Guidelines on parenteral nutrition in the ICU.

Enteral nutrition (EN) is a well established approach to nutritional support in the ICU. Parenteral nutrition (PN) represents an additional safe approach, substituting or complementing EN when its delivery fails completely or partially. This article attempts to summarize the ESPEN guidelines of PN in the ICU based on the available literature, which is often limited due to quality and methodology heterogeneity; the recommendations are therefore largely expressed as expert opinions.