DIARRHEA INDUCED BY ENTERAL FEEDING

Diarrhea is reported as a major complication of enteral feeding. Recen t studies show that there is a staggering amount of confusion in defin ing diarrhea in this setting. This causes major problems both in estim ating the incidence of diarrhea, as well as determining its clinical i mpact In many cases, careful review of the patients' records and evalu ation of the diarrhea may lead to ifs accurate diagnosis and treatment The frustration involved in the management of these patients may lead investigators to measure quantitatively the patient's fecal output an d to come up with a standardized definition of diarrhea. We describe h ere three cases that show various forms of enteral feeding-induced dia rrhea. Subsequently we will review the important issues regarding the definition of related diarrhea and attempt to understand ifs pathogene sis.