Gastrointestinal disease: nutritional implications.

The management of patients with gastrointestinal disease must include attention to nutritional status. It has been documented that morbidity and mortality previously considered common in these patients can be reduced significantly. Perhaps the largest contribution that advances in nutritional support have made is the reduction in the frequency of surgical intervention. Remission of inflammatory bowel disease, closure of fistulas, intestinal adaptation, and prevention of malnutrition in complicated pancreatitis with the use of nutritional therapies help to avoid the complications of operative procedures.