Clinical Management of Intestinal Failure

Book excerpt: A complex disease entity, intestinal failure (IF) has only recently become accepted as a distinct clinical syndrome. Improvements across a wide range of disciplines—including critical care and organ transplantation as well as surgical, medical, and nutritional therapies—have led to a steady rise in survival and quality of life for patients with IF. Taking a current, multidisciplinary approach to their care, Clinical Management of Intestinal Failure offers intensive discussion of medical and nutritional issues in adults and children with intestinal failure. It addresses all facets of IF, including epidemiology, clinical presentation, intestinal rehabilitation, and transplantation. Topics covered include: Etiology and epidemiology Pathophysiology and clinical assessment Medical and surgical management Prevention and treatment of complications Nursing management Emerging diagnostic and therapeutic methods Long-term care Reflecting the diverse nature of IF clinical care and research, this book is written by a group of expert clinician scientists that includes gastroenterologists, surgeons, nurses, pharmacists, dietitians, social workers, and patients. They show how a multidisciplinary approach to patient care is instrumental in achieving optimal patient outcomes through more efficient lines of communication, improved monitoring of medications and their effects, detailed evaluation of growth parameters, and facilitation of the creative process that can lead to research breakthroughs. Advancing the discipline of IF, this book summarizes the current state of the art of patient management as well as new developments in the science of tissue engineering, medical and surgical therapy, and transplantation.