Enteral nutrition support: formula preparation from modular ingredients.

Many hospitalized patients are undernourished, and often this condition can be corrected by feeding one of a variety of commercial enteral formulas through a thin nasoenteral cannula. In a subset of tube feeding patients, nutritional requirements are unique, and needs cannot be met by a fixed composition formula. Modification, or de novo fabrication of the enteral formula is therefore required. Few reviews have adequately addressed some of the complexities of designing, mixing, and feeding these specialized diets. This report provides some of this information, and shows that considerably more education and research in this area is needed.